Heaven's Aid
by bladewielder05
Summary: The disease discriminates nobody. It plagues all until none is left. Only one survivor faces it head-on in hopes of accomplishing something. Would the child be able to finish his quest before the scourge takes him? And yet...perhaps infection is not so horrible after all, seeing how your loved ones are dead. For Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya's This World Has Died, Hasn't It? Contest.
1. Chapter 1: Denial

**FALALA! I'M FINALLY POSTING IT! Well...the first part at least. Here's my entry to Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya's This World Has Died, Hasn't It? Contest! I swore to myself that I was making a oneshot. Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo, I'm making a multi-chapter thing. Great...I swear, I'm not really into post-apocalyptic stuff, so this one was a bit difficult for me. I finally got an idea on vacation while my parents were driving through a freakin' barren wasteland. I was just thinking about how the world would be like when nobody's alive anymore...and imagined a lone survivor just walking through the fields of grass...and finally came up with this story. It has a similar premise with an original story of mine, the one starring Nitrus, for those who read _Infectious_. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it. I believe it fits the criteria close enough...**

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Denial

 _We, the Council of Twelve, find the defendant guilty of his crimes. We sentence the guilty party to an eternity…_

…

The disease came out of nowhere. Nobody knew the cause for it nor did they know how to prevent its infection. Perhaps a virus mutated during its cloning process, becoming something much more malevolent as its genes twisted themselves into new coils unrecognizable by the protective cells of the living body. Or it simply gained a new gene from its surroundings, a gene that made it resistant to said cells. However it was done, it was done. The first signs of death appeared near Mount Everest, famous for being the highest peak on Earth. Because of the people's isolation, nobody knew nor could they save them. When the first group of tourists arrived, blackened corpses greeted the pale people. Their dead, black eyes screamed silently to the tourists, causing them to only imagine what could have happened. As they stared in horror, one of the bodies swollen to twice its size crawled towards them. To the tourists, it seemed to groan for fresh blood. In reality, the poor soul cried for help. A braver, or more foolish, man than the rest stepped forward and bashed the blackened head with large branch. The infected gurgled horribly before sinking in the snow, its terrible black a great contrast against the white falling around it. Unable to look at the distorted, darkened faces of once-smiling natives, they hurried away from the nightmare, determined to bury the incident in their minds, unaware that they themselves suddenly carried the disease to infect the others. The blackened wings began their flight.

The tourists returned to their own countries and homes. A few, fortunately perhaps at that time, were miraculously saved from it. The other people screeched their fear to the heavens once they found their skin darkened like coal after a few days. Parts of their body began to swell, causing them to look even more grotesque than normal. Their families, terrified for their lives, rushed for expert medical attention. The disease baffled the doctors, who found it to be extremely similar to a contagion that happened years ago. The original cure for the past plague, however, couldn't prevent this one from spreading. Before they knew it, the original tourists who first came upon the disease met the same fate as the natives. By their families' own hands. It was almost as if the tourists' screams for aid fell on deaf ears. Their families only saw a chilling monster of their former loved ones that crawled towards them, hungry for flesh.

Unfortunately, nobody stopped it in time. The families were already affected. They have already contacted with others. The infection exerted a terrifying burst of speed with the new development. More and more people began to be infected with the strange, yet familiar disease. Some developed slowly, revealing the disease's presence only when people thought they were safe. Others lost their minds rapidly in their search for help. And more so, the survivors doubted their sight of who were infected and who were safe. Countries fell to ruins as people turned against one another, unsure of when the disease would strike one into a monster. Scientists worked frantically for a cure, only to be overridden by the desperate sick. The revered minds soon fell to the disease as well, ending mankind's chance to stop it. First worlds' proud order turned into chaos with people searching for shelter, supplies, security, and sanity. Third worlds barely stood a chance.

Earth, once green and fertile, blackened to match the pandemic, as if dark wings bound the doomed planet. The Black Plague rose again, this time to finish the job.

…

He really did enjoy watching the humans turn against each other. It was so…interesting, to say the least, how selfish people could be when faced with a choice between their life and others. Time and time again, he watched from his perch how mothers drove their children away, how fathers beat their wives to death, and how teenagers tore at each other in order to survive this great ordeal. Sad, but ever so true. At times, when he was lucky, he would get front row seats to friends stabbing their infected comrades out of fear of being infected themselves. The high-pitched screams always sang a blissful tune to the Black Plague's ears as the fire roared in the background. Then the blood. Oh, that glorious red liquid that dripped from open, pale skin and rotting, black flesh! It was amazing how it flooded the streets, unmindful of its dear importance to the human life! Its stickiness splattered walls and floors to paint the entire world in its loveliest shade of red to match with the obsidian corpses. Not only did it look beautiful, it tickled his senses. The winged disease tasted its iron properties before and continued to taste it as madness descended on the planet.

 _Snap._

The Black Plague scowled underneath his bird-like mask. Even without turning around, he knew who it was. That damned kid was following him again. Though he attempted to convince himself otherwise, a deep voice kept whispering to him that the boy could see him. There shouldn't be any way a brat like that would be able to see him. However, the winged disease couldn't find any other explanation for why the kid was able to follow him throughout his journey. Even after he took many people's lives, the brat still trailed after him unmindful of how dangerous the road was.

The Black Plague turned when he heard footsteps approaching him. From the holes of his mask, he saw how the blonde kid flinched. His yellow-and-red striped shirt was ripped at some parts along with his blue shorts. Dirt covered every bit of skin, and he had lost one of his shoes, leaving him to travel in a sock. Eyes wide with fear stared at the Black Plague. The boy hugged himself tightly, as if to protect himself from the elements. A cruel smirk crossed the disease's face. He pointed his staff at the kid, causing him to cry in surprise. The Black Plague almost broke out in laughter when he saw how close the child was to wetting his pants. He knew that the mere sight of him petrified the child to the point that his fear froze his feet, preventing any escape. It was easy to claim this kid's life.

However the disease just didn't feel like it. He dropped his staff, turned around, and continued making his way through the debris of fallen buildings.

The child blinked. His heart pounding fiercely in his chest, he was quite certain that this time, this time the Black Plague would claim him. However, like the many other times, the disease dropped his gun-like staff and walked away. The blonde didn't know why the disease continued to spare him, but he did. Despite the fear in his heart and the sweat on his brow, the kid narrowed his eyes determinedly. He waited until the wings were far enough before chasing after him.

The sun paid no attention to Earth's decimated state. It continued to rise and set like any normal day. It soon disappeared from the horizon, allowing the moon to take its position as the celestial guard. Even at night when the survivors fell to a troubled sleep while their comrades kept watch, the Black Plague strode forward. Diseases never rested, and this one wanted more blood. It truly was unfortunate that he lost his flight. If he had them, he would have been able to wipe away the Earth on day one. However he was reduced to foot as he searched for survivors. He growled in annoyance as the only light to his name was the moon reflecting the sun's orders. One thing he hated about the desolate world right now was the fact that many bulbs have burned, leaving Earth in almost total darkness. Foolish nobodies kept the maintenance under control.

It did help him track down survivors, however. Although light from the fires was meant to comfort the people, instead it marked them, exposed them. The disease searched for those lights now. Where there was light, there were people. Where there were people, there was flesh. The Black Plague's mouth watered from the thought of lapping up the pools of red.

 _Snap!_

Again, the Black Plague's eyes narrowed as he whirled around. His red eyes barely made out the dirty kid from before underneath the cover of the trees just on the outskirts of the eradicated town. He scowled at the nuisance once more, wondering how the kid could see him and why he followed him. The child stopped. The winged disease saw fractions of movement and realized that the kid's shoulders were trembling. As if on cue, the wind picked up, screaming at the disease. He felt an irresistible urge to open his wings wider and simply let the wind carry him to the next town. He realized that this was his chance to continue his destruction and finally leave the boy behind. Ignoring the freezing child, he allowed his wings to majestically spread behind him. The disease remembered how it felt for the wind to support him in his flights. The desire for that sensation caused him to futilely flap his wings as if to regain what he had lost. Fortunately the wind was strong enough to carry the Black Plague. The disease felt his feet leave the ground as he closed his eyes in bliss.

"W-wait!" cried a mournful voice.

Rapid footsteps. And _thump!_

Again, the Black Plague's eyes opened and narrowed. The child had burst from his cover and started running towards him. However, he had tripped over something, landing face-first on the ground. The disease couldn't see the kid's face. But he saw the child's trembling shoulders. Exasperation flashed through him, causing him to blink in confusion at why he would feel such a thing. Shouldn't he feel relieved that the wind would finally rid him of this pest? What was with this empty sensation? Movement caught his eyes, and he stared as the child slowly sat up. Blood dripped down his left knee as he clutched it tightly. Now as he floated away, the Black Plague could see the tears streaming down the child's face. The child's eyes almost made him want to close his wings. Although sorrowful eyes were a familiar sight to him, the Black Plague couldn't help but feel ashamed when staring into the little one's mirrors. The empty sensation beset him once again. The wind carried him further away from the child. The boy suddenly held out a hand in desperation, crying "wait!" once again. Too soon, the masked wings disappeared from his sight.

His arm slowly drooped, the tears still streaming from his eyes. The disappearance of the person he so long followed hit the child like a ton of bricks. Unlike most children of his age, he didn't sob loudly to cry to the world of their misery. Truthfully, he couldn't understand why he was crying. He hugged his knees and hid his face. Muffled tears continued to drip. The boy could only hug himself to calm himself down. He had seen his mother and brother die before his eyes. He had heard his beloved ones' fading pleas of aid. And now, the one object that offered him some comfort finally disappeared from his grasp. There was nothing more he could do. There was nothing more in the world for him.

"Get up," an irritated voice commanded. The boy lifted his head to see who it was. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the masked disease tower over him. The black wings spread out, shadowing the kid from the moonlight. His sorrow immediately turned to fear as he realized that the Black Plague could very well take his life now. He continued to stare in horror, barely having the strength to tremble. He saw the mouth underneath the mask scowl, "I said, get up!" The boy remained still, eyes wide with fear. The mouth gritted its teeth in anger. A human hand shot out and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly, earning a cry of pain. The Black Plague pulled the boy up and turned to his original direction. Without paying any more attention, he moved forward. The boy, though terrified, understood that the disease wasn't going to wait for him. Ignoring the painful injury in his knee, he limped after the Black Plague towards one of the decimated buildings.

…

The Black Plague growled to himself as he sat cross-legged on the dirty floor. It wasn't necessarily the dirt that bothered him, nor was it the disgusting, musky smell of the abandoned cement. The thing that irritated him to no end was sleeping right in front of him. Although it was said that people naturally looked peaceful in their sleep, this boy was a whole different matter. His brow furrowed, the child hugged himself tightly, his shoulders trembling occasionally. At times, the Black Plague thought he saw something gather at the corner of the kid's eyes but dismissed it as his imagination. He wondered why he had to get saddled with such a child. His nails dug through his sleeves deeply. He felt his irritation mounting as he continued to stare at the kid. Finally unable to stand it, the Black Plague stood up and stomped outside.

Unmindful of the wrecked buildings all around him, the disease crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway of their meek shelter. His eyes glazed as he focused on nothing in particular. His mind began to wander. Without realizing it, the Black Plague scowled when he unearthed many unpleasant memories. He felt nail against skin, recognizing that he had accidentally ripped through his cloak. The disease cursed at the tear just as the sun began to rise.

A quiet, rustling sound alerted the Black Plague. He looked over his shoulder to see the groggy boy slowly sit up. The blonde rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before jolting awake and looking around fearfully. The kid seemed to relax when he saw the winged disease standing at the door. The Black Plague hid a smirk at the child's tension. Yet he didn't want to waste any more time than he had to. He was already behind watching over the kid.

He turned to leave. A strangled cry echoed from behind. The Black Plague only took a few steps outside when he felt something pull his cloak from the inside. His irritation returning, the disease turned around. The child released his hold on the disease's clothing, gazing desperately into red orbs.

"Will you stop following me?" the disease asked, exasperated. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how long this boy had been following him for. He remembered that he finished wiping out a town one day and the child was just standing on the outskirts. The Black Plague was satisfied with the carnage for that day so he chose not to infect the kid just yet. He continued on his way to his next destination and infect more people. However, to his surprise, the child followed him. It initially confused him that kid kept such a precise route on his tail as humans should not be able to see the disease at all. Yet this child shadowed him all the way here.

The boy flinched from the Black Plague's tone. Yet, he honestly shook his head in answer to the disease's question. The winged disease felt his annoyance mounting again. Why did the boy refuse to talk now? He was all right last night when the disease was about to fly away.

He huffed his irritation, "Well, stop following me." The Black Plague turned to walk forward again. His eye twitched from behind his mask when he heard footsteps behind him. He was extremely tempted to whip out his staff and end the boy's life with a quick infection right here. Yet he chose a different route.

Without warning, the winged disease whirled around and kicked the boy's side. He cried in pain as he fell on the dirt ground. The Black Plague stared at the unmoving figure, wondering whether that was enough to do the trick. He scowled when he saw the boy slowly get up again. The kid then slowly made his way back over to the disease. The Black Death felt his temper boiling over once the child reached him. This time, he aimed a harder kick at the boy's stomach. The kid flew even further. He coughed a few times before pushing himself off the ground. The masked disease had to admit, the boy had guts. It seemed like almost nothing was going to stop the kid from following him as he made his way back towards the winged being. He watched the boy closely, secretly admiring him for his foolish determination.

The Black Plague then frowned deeply. Something was wrong. He examined the boy further. That was strange…the boy touched his cloak…and the disease kicked him twice…yet he couldn't sense any signs of infection in the child's body. What could this mean? The Black Plague was lethal everywhere. Why wasn't this weak boy unaffected?

The disease felt his heart skip a beat. Could it be…? Impossible! He was quite certain that…

The boy finally reached him again. Although the fear was still clear in his eyes, his lines were determinedly set to resist the disease's rebukes. The Black Plague continued to stare at the child before turning around, his lips tightening into a snarl.

"Fine, I'll let you come along. But you can't get in my way, understand, kid?" although his back was turned, the Black Plague heard a slightly excited gasp. Footsteps alerted him in the kid following him. Still without looking the disease asked, "What's your name, kid? I can't call you that forever."

"…I-It…It's Lucas," the childish voice sounded a bit braver than last night. It seemed that the disease's quiet approval strengthened him. He stayed silent for a moment before mustering up a bit more courage. "What's…what's your name?"

"…why do you need to know?" the Black Plague retorted.

Lucas thought for a moment before replying, "I…I can't call you Black Plague…"

An amused smirk crossed the disease's face, yet he continued forward. "Is that what you creatures call me? I think I enjoy that nickname…" Lucas's shoulders sagged. He thought that if he used the disease's reason, he would answer back. However, it seemed as if the winged being didn't care what the others called him. But the child knew better.

"I still want to know your real name," he said resolutely. The Black Plague stopped. He turned around to face the child. Lucas couldn't see, but a hint of admiration was in the disease's eyes.

"I still want you to leave me," he shot back before turning around to walk forward again. Lucas flinched slightly from the intensity of the Black Plague's response. He stood behind uncertainly, watching the black wings leave. "I'll leave you for good if you don't hurry up!" the disease's voice shook the child out of his thoughts. He hesitated for another moment before running after the Black Plague. He finally reached the disease's side and walked beside him.

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 **Voila! Not exactly what you guys were expecting, huh? ;) I hope this would put in a new perspective of a post-apocalyptic world. Anyways, I believe it's quite easy to know who the Black Plague really is...why is he infecting Earth? Who knows? :)**

 **Lucas: I know!**

 **Shh, Lucas...not yet. Soon. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2: Anger

**UGH! I HATE MY LIFE! ...anyways, enjoy the second installment! I swear, I don't think things would turn out the way you readers expect it...**

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Anger

 _I didn't do it! I was framed! Somebody framed me! Why won't you believe me?!_

…

Lucas trotted after the Black Plague quietly as they passed through their third town that day. Although his legs wobbled and his feet ached, the boy preserved on. He felt his eyelids drooping occasionally as his mind buzzed with only the thought of shadowing the disease. The fear of being left behind kept Lucas awake the whole journey. Very rarely did the unlikely duo stop for rest or food. They kept traveling along with the wind through desolated cities and towns, following the paths to any possible signs of human life. There was very little of that. Human life was, instead, replaced with human corpses. Almost everywhere the child looked, blackened bodies sprawled about, as if a giant hand scattered them carelessly. At times Lucas looked fearfully in a direction where a moaning echoed. The Black Plague would also stop to wait for the kid to get over his frozen state. A knowing smirk always played on the disease's lips whenever this happened. The child's fears almost always amounted to naught.

There was one time when a pile of bodies shifted after the duo passed it. A swollen hand reached out and grabbed Lucas's leg. The boy screamed reflexively, causing the Black Plague to turn around to see the commotion. The woman crawled terrifyingly fast towards Lucas, some of her white skin peeking from underneath her dead black cells. Her mouth had a putrid smell that one would liken to an undead. Her black eyes stared desperately into Lucas's frightened ones.

"H-Help me…" she moaned. His heart beating a million pulses per minute, Lucas had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out. He clawed desperately at the cement, attempting to inch away from the infected trainer. Weak as she was though, the woman easily overpowered Lucas and continued to pull him towards her while crawling forth. He looked over his shoulder to cry out in pure terror at the woman's gaping mouth. Yet the expected bite did not come. The point of a purple staff sliced through the woman's head, causing her to screech like a banshee. Confusion mixed with fear in the woman's eyes as she couldn't comprehend how she met her end now. Blood spurted from the wound onto the three in its way. Lucas flinched while the Black Plague stood without expression, retracting his staff. The infected gurgled horribly before falling to the side. Lucas felt the strength leaving the woman's hand and scrabbled away. He gulped for air, sweat still trailing down his body from the ordeal. His wide eyes continued to stare at the dead eyes before him. The Black Plague simply wiped the blood away from his mask and staff. Without another word, he back to their original direction. His footsteps snapped the boy out of his trance. He realized that the disease would leave him behind. Lucas gave one last look at the poor woman before shadowing the Black Plague once again.

During their hunt, Lucas curiously observed his companion in order to learn more about him. He noticed that the Black Plague always stayed on the manmade roads. The disease never seemed to want to touch anything unless it was manmade. He always avoided walking or touching any plant life. The first time Lucas stepped off their path to examine a flower, the disease warned him that he was going to leave him. That spurred the child to return to his former position trailing the Black Plague. He had looked at the disease curiously, but the bird-like mask always shielded the Black Plague's emotions.

Lucas also saw how the disease never needed food nor water. He always kept going, never stopping for rest. The poor child struggled to keep up with the Black Plague. Yet he was but ten years old. At times, he collapsed, causing the Black Plague to scowl and mutter dark words under his breath. Hearing the disease's muted words, Lucas attempted to get up so they could continue walking. It seemed as if the Black Plague didn't care at all what happens to the boy. However, Lucas knew.

They never stopped to gather food, but when there was water to be found, the Black Plague always stopped and waited. Lucas took that as a cue to drink as much as he could. The disease seemed to be aware that humans could live weeks without food. Yet without any water, they perished easily. The winged being made sure to find enough to hydrate the young boy. When Lucas offered some, the Black Plague turned away, growling for him to hurry up.

The duo usually traveled in silence. The Black Plague seemed to hate unnecessary chitchat. It was fine for the shy boy. However the lack of human sounds chilled his bone. It reminded him how alone he was, how alone they were. There would be the occasional twitter of the birds and rustle of the grass. Yet the moment the duo drew near, the sounds disappeared. Only the wind howled a greeting. Lucas felt like the world shunned them, fearful of their actions.

It had been five days since the Black Plague gave his consent for Lucas to trail him. In those five days, Lucas had had nothing to eat. The boy's stomach growled loudly. He covered it, as if he could mask the sound that way. Yet his stomach continued to protest its hunger. Lucas could sense the Black Plague's annoyance emitting from every fiber of the disease's body. Lucas mentally pleaded with his body to listen to him. It wouldn't do such a thing, and roared.

"Can't you keep quiet?" the Black Plague turned and glared at the boy. Lucas flinched at the disease's harsh tone. He looked towards his feet in shame.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. The Black Plague scowled. He knew that the child's apology would do little to stop his irritating stomach. Truth to be told, the disease was getting a bit hungry himself. His last meal was two days ago, when that pale woman finally succumbed to the plague. Yet the towns they went through held little food for him. He could take to the forests, but the Black Plague would rather not. He already did enough to the humans.

He looked around them. The ruined town mirrored the other places they've been as buildings rotted and collapsed on themselves. The Black Plague continued to search until he found a respectable house still clinging to its last twines of life. He moved towards it, hearing the pitter-patter of the boy's feet after him. The disease stood near the door and pointed inside. Lucas looked inside curiously. "Stay here. I'll be back," the Black Plague ordered. The boy turned to the disease nervously. Anxiety was clear in his eyes.

"You're…not going to leave me, are you?" he asked. There was no accusing tone in his voice, only heartfelt fear and concern.

The Black Plague scowled again, "Do you think I'll wait five days hearing your stupid stomach to leave you? I'm going to get you some food so you wouldn't complain so loudly with that bag of yours!" Without reacting to the child's start of surprise, the disease stormed away. Lucas watched as the Black Plague suddenly disappeared from his sight. He gave a strangled cry but quickly stopped himself from running after the winged being. No, if the Black Plague said he was going to come back, then the boy had to believe him. What the disease retorted made sense; why would he abandon the boy now after five days of travel with him? Lucas decided to trust him. The boy slowly walked into the abandoned home.

He blinked multiple times to get his bearings. He saw the dining table overturned with its chairs spewed about. The TV was smashed on its side and random objects scattered across the floor. Lucas flinched when he noticed the dashes of blood covering a few furniture. He looked around fearfully for any signs of dead, black bodies. To his relief, there were none. Perhaps this was the reason that the Black Plague chose this house in the first place. Lucas knew for a fact that it was close to impossible to travel outside without coming into contact with one of the dead infected. Even flies avoided the corpses.

Just thinking about being infected brought shivers down the boy's spine. He couldn't imagine having your skin turn black, showing signs of its death. Some unlucky people's bodies swelled like balloons, further distorting their appearance. Lucas wondered again whether his decision to follow after the very source of his planet's destruction was right. As soon as he thought that, he dismissed it. Of course it was right, even if it put him in the highest chance of being seriously infected. Again, Lucas inquired the Black Plague's decision to spare him. He wasn't anything special. If anything, the Black Plague should have spared his mother and brother. They were the ones who deserved to live, not him.

Tears streamed down his cheeks when Lucas thought about his family. Although he wasn't the one who killed them, he might as well had. He could still see their blackened eyes and skin as they moaned for help. The sound of gunfire was still clear in his mind, the blood splattering everywhere. Lucas had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming in his hiding spot. He could only watch as his family's killers examined them for any signs of life.

That was when he saw the Black Plague standing behind the man and two women. Lucas saw the Black Plague grin as he pulled the trigger of his staff. The man and women barely reacted from the three bullets that sank into their skins. Hours later, Lucas covered his ears to the screams of the victims.

He quickly shook his head, trying to drive away those horrible memories. He didn't want to recall those anymore. The fatigue began to take him as his eyelids drooped. Lucas moved towards the couch, uncaring of the bloodstains. Figuring that the Black Plague won't be back soon, the boy decided to take some more needed rest. The moment he lay on the couch he drifted to a dead sleep.

Lucas wasn't sure how long he was asleep for, but when he woke up again, the Black Plague was sitting on one of the dining chairs. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty's awake," the disease smirked. Lucas sat up groggily. He wished that he could plop back down to sleep a bit more. Yet with the Black Plague before him, Lucas was quite sure that that wasn't an option. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he looked at the winged being. The Black Plague then gestured to the table that he must have righted. "Something for you," he muttered. Lucas looked and saw a plate of what looked like some meat with a pile of herbs. The boy started slightly in surprise at the food. He looked at the Black Plague uncertainly. Sensing the boy's hesitation, the disease growled, "It's not human meat, if that's what you think. I managed to catch a vole and gathered those plants from the forest. It should be safe to eat."

The boy still hesitated. The Black Plague scowled at that. He waved an uncaring hand, spinning away, "I don't care if you eat it or not. But it'll just go to waste…" He blinked in shock as a small hand crept towards the herbs. Lucas grabbed them and shoved them in his mouth, remembering at the last second to chew them. Swallowing the plants, he turned to the meat. Though he hesitated a bit, he steeled his resolve and grabbed the piece. Ignoring the weird sensation, Lucas bit into it. His eyes widened in surprise at its deliciousness. The Black Plague watched as his companion quickly finished off the vole. Lucas paused, feeling the food restoring some of his energy. It wasn't enough to cure the boy of his emaciated structure, but it was enough to stop his stomach from growling. He looked at the disease shyly.

"Thank you for the food," he murmured. The Black Plague blinked before turning away.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get used to it," now that he had the boy's gratitude, the disease felt kind of bad for experimenting on the kid. Truthfully, he had infected the vole and plants before preparing them. There was no way around it. However from what he had observed of Lucas, the kid should have been fine eating the food. Seeing firsthand that the child was still standing with his skin still pale, the Black Plague knew that somehow Lucas was resistant to him. Wouldn't other survivors love to get their hands on the kid to find the cure to fight him? The Black Plague knew he would have to hide the child from others lest they discover his special genes. He looked out of the creaking windows. The sun was close to setting with enough light to hunt. The disease headed outside again, ignoring Lucas's start.

"Stay here," the Black Plague pointed to the couch. "You'll need more food to walk tomorrow. I'll be back." Without sparing Lucas another glance, the disease left the house as silently as he came. The boy stayed in his spot for a moment before turning to find a sink to wash his hands, and possibly himself. Strangely enough the pipes still ran in the house, and Lucas was able to clean himself up. Despite how the occupants of the house ran off and left their belongings behind, the boy had no wish to go through their stuff. As a result he wore only the clothes on his back. He went back to the living room where the couch was. Lucas knew that it was best to continue to conserve his energy as this may be the only time the Black Plague was so graciously letting him take his time. He lay on the couch once again before closing his eyes to sleep.

…

The sun had already set by the time the winged disease returned. The Black Plague held the rabbit by its ears along with a few stalks of edible plants he had gathered in the forest. He cursed the kid repeatedly under his breath. When he started his pandemic, he had vowed to himself he wouldn't touch any of nature's bearings unless they bothered him. Now this kid was forcing him to actually go and hunt for some food. He wasn't sure why he broke his vow to himself to care for a child that annoyed him to no end, but he did.

Truthfully, though, he knew that he couldn't blame Lucas. It was his choice and his choice alone. He didn't have to go out his way to get the kid some food, but he still did. Besides after all that traveling, the boy deserved some well-needed rest and food. He was only a ten-year-old human after all, and not some horrifying illness like the winged being. The boy never complained once and always followed the disease quietly and respectfully. The least the disease could do was take minimal care of him. Even if it meant breaking his vow…The Black Plague shook his head from those thoughts, refusing to think about it anymore. He exited the forest boundaries and stepped onto human territory. His shoulders relaxed once he felt the manmade road underneath his feet. The disease headed towards the house Lucas stayed in. The decaying door creaked loudly, causing the Black Plague to grimace. For some reason, he didn't like the way the door sounded. Possibly because nobody looked after it anymore.

The Black Plague veered towards the kitchen to place his findings on the counter. A strange feeling came over him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it. He learned before that trusting his instincts was a good idea. The disease walked into the living room, fully expecting Lucas to be sleeping again on the couch. His heart leapt in his throat when he saw the empty couch. His mind raced with possibilities. Perhaps the kid had went into one of the rooms to sleep on a proper bed. The Black Plague dashed into the four individual rooms. Although messy with the former occupants' belongings, there were no signs of the blonde boy. The disease skid back into the dining room with a strange hope that Lucas might have returned. Still no sign. He inhaled deeply when he thought about the kid running away. The Black Plague dismissed it almost immediately. Lucas had followed his orders before. He wouldn't dare disobey them now.

That only left one explanation. Somebody must have taken him. The Black Plague felt his heart sink at the thought that somebody could have possibly known about Lucas's resistance to him and stole him in order to find the cure. The disease tightened his fist at the idea of the boy being experimented on for the sake of a vaccine against him. He couldn't let that happen. If he did, he would cease to exist. He would die if there wasn't anyone to infect.

The Black Plague walked to Lucas's couch. He touched the area softly and closed his eyes. He stayed in that position for a few minutes before standing up abruptly. Leaving the ruined house behind him, the Black Plague raced out the door and into the forest opposite of the woods where he gathered his food. Despite the lack of light, he stayed true to his course, expertly dodging any obstacle that got in his way. As he leapt over logs and ducked under branches, his stomach growled loudly. The Black Plague couldn't resist a small smirk. He promised himself that he would feast tonight on the flesh of those who stole Lucas. In the back of his head, he attempted to convince himself that he was doing this for himself, not the kid.

…

Lucas blearily woke up, only to have the light of a raging fire in his eyes. The unfamiliar sight caused the young boy to look around frighteningly. As he did, he noticed that something held him back, something rough and sturdy. Lucas recognized the feel of rope tying him to a tree. The three men looked up when the boy gave a strangled cry.

"Well, well, well…looks like he's awake," Lucas turned to the rough-looking man. He flicked away his burning cigar and crushed it underneath his boot. "Had a nice nap, kid?" Lucas sealed his lips, not trusting himself to say anything. He worried about what the Black Plague would do when the disease found out that Lucas was gone. He hoped that he wouldn't infect him. The man glowered when Lucas didn't respond. He slapped the boy's cheek, earning a cry of pain. "I asked you if you had a nice nap! Where has your respect for your elders gone?"

"Be careful with our dinner, Snake," a bird-like man scowled. "I don't want soiled meat."

"Aw, a little slap ain't gonna kill him, Falco," Snake sneered. "He's a big boy; he could take it."

"Wa-ha-ha! If anything, Snake's tenderizing him for us!" the fat, Italian man laughed. At their words, realization hit the boy like a ton of bricks. He couldn't stop trembling at the sudden thought. Falco noticed and looked at the boy with a hint of regret.

"Yeah, sorry, kid. But if we want to survive, we got to eat."

"W-what a-about the a-animals?" Lucas asked in a shaky voice.

"They're infected too. Don't you know anything, kid?" the Italian man sneered. "You so much as touch a Black Plague victim, and your skin would-a turn black all over." Upon hearing his words, Lucas's trembling got even worse. If what he said was true then that would mean that Lucas was infected as well. He remembered how that woman gripped his leg for help, her black eyes still staring into Lucas's scared ones.

"T-that means I'm already i-infected too!" Lucas protested. "One of them t-touched me!"

Snake looked him up and down before grinning crazily at him, "You're lying, kid. I don't see any black on you. I know what you're doing." He waggled a finger in front of Lucas, "You're trying to make us not eat you. But too bad! It's a dog-eat-dog world now!"

"B-but we're not d-dogs!"

"It's just a saying!" Snake screamed. "That's it! I can't take it anymore! I have to eat right now, even if the kid's raw!" He flicked his wrist, his fingers gripping something tightly. Lucas flinched at the sight of the flashing gleam of the knife the man held. He could only whimper in fear as he cowered futilely. Lucas never thought he would leave like this. It seemed as if the aftermaths of the Black Plague were even worse than the disease itself. It very much turned three possibly-respectable men into savage cannibals. Lucas cried slightly when Snake sliced through his bounds. A grubby hand shot out and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly. The man pulled the struggling Lucas towards him. In contrast to the woman's pleading eyes, Snake's eyes reflected nothing but madness and hunger. He raised his hand, ready to slash Lucas's throat. None of his companions' words got through to him. An animalistic growl tore from his throat as he ate Lucas with his eyes. The boy could only stare in horror, his mouth opening for only a small whimper.

"Snake! Snake, look out!" Falco shouted. The shattered man looked over to his old friend in confusion. As he turned, he felt something dig into his forehead. It didn't hurt, but it irritated him. Snake swiped at it. To his surprise, he couldn't feel a thing. It was almost as if the poking thing had disappeared. He heard strangled cries from his friends. He glared at them, still holding onto Lucas.

"What?! What are you talking about?!" he shouted angrily. His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Sweat trailed down his neck as he stared at his arms. Though pale one moment, his skin began to rot black, as if multiple ants crawled at a frighteningly fast pace. Snake screamed from the realization that he had just been infected. He let go of Lucas, causing the boy to scoot away in terror. The man continued to scream his pains to the moon. His friends watched in horror as Snake's arms swelled and his legs blackened, transfixed by the ghastly transformation. Lucas took advantage of their shocked state to crawl further away, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away from Snake. He didn't look where he was going, and something stopped his escape. Lucas froze, wondering what could be behind him.

After a few moments, he finally mustered up the courage to slowly turn around. A bird-like mask with a mouth dripping with drool greeted him. Despite his fear, Lucas couldn't help but cry out, "The Black Plague!" Both Falco and Wario looked at the cloaked figure in horror. Something snapped in them, and Wario scurried to his feet.

"Let'sa get out of here!" he screamed as he ran off in one direction. Falco split from his friend, sprinting in the other direction. The Black Plague's mouth curved into a smirk. Despite the cruel smile, the boy could sense every fiber of the disease's body emitting black, hot anger. Ignoring Lucas, he walked to where Snake spazzed on the ground. The closer he got, the more energy he could feel rejuvenating him. Perhaps these three numbskulls kidnapping Lucas wasn't so bad after all. The man crawled slowly towards the fire. The familiar moaning of "help me" could be heard. Without any hesitation, the Black Plague brought his staff down, slashing through Snake's head. Lucas turned away, failing to block the man's screams from his mind. When it ended, the boy fearfully looked up. He saw the Black Plague licking his fingers, as if to taste something. He blinked in confusion at something that caught his eyes. Although the Black Plague continued to lick at his fingers, for some reason it remained black. Lucas thought back to when he saw the disease's hand and realized that his fingers before were pale, free of black.

"Lucas." The boy jumped on hearing his name spoken, his thoughts fleeing. "I want you to stay here. Don't go anywhere," the Black Plague walked off into the direction of the Italian man. Lucas held out a hand to stop the disease, but he already disappeared between the dark trees. The boy found himself left alone once again. Although Lucas wished desperately to go after the Black Plague, his submissive side told him to obey the disease's orders. Hope fought submission and submission won. Hugging himself, Lucas sat down on a nearby log to wait for his companion's return.

Falco sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. His heavy breathing mixed with the bewildering cries of the forest around him. Although every part looked the same to him, Falco refused to turn around. His very life depended on him getting away from the crazy, winged creature he saw behind the boy. What was that thing?! He couldn't believe it just went and shot Snake like that. Then Snake just suddenly got infected with the disease. Was it the bullet that caused the illness to spread? He remembered how the kid called it the Black Plague. Was that what ruined their whole planet? Their whole earth?

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Falco kept muttering to himself. One thing was certain. He had to get outta here. He had to get as far away as possible from that thing. Surviving was the only thing on his mind. Falco leapt over a branch just in time before it managed to trip him. As he landed, he heard a horrific scream that echoed through the forest. The bird-like man looked behind him in horror when he recognized that to be Wario's screams. That must have meant that the Black Plague got him. Driving the sounds from his mind, Falco picked up the pace. He refused to think how tired and aching he was. He knew that if he stopped to rest for even one second, the Black Plague could be upon him. The wind picked up, seemingly helping the escapee dash away from his murderer. Falco ignored the tree branches slapping his face, his vision blurring slightly with reflex tears. He just had to survive. He just had to. After all those weeks hiding from the mangling diseases, Falco just had to survive.

He never realized how his body began to shut down. The Black Plague took one aim and shot Falco right through the back of his head. He waited patiently until the man's body fell from exhaustion and infection. The disease kept his wings close to stop the wind from carrying him further. He walked over to the fallen man. Falco's head turned in the Black Plague's general direction. However, despite being able to see him before, the man couldn't make out the dreaded black wings. He stared into darkness, wondering how he fell. Raising his staff high, the Black Plague stabbed Falco's head.

…

Lucas looked up when he heard the leaves crunch underfoot. He jumped off his log to run towards the figure emerging from the cover of the trees. The Black Plague barely made it into the clearing when the kid tackled him down. His scowl disappeared when he felt small arms wrap around his body. The Black Plague sat up, feeling Lucas bury his face into his cloak. The boy's shoulders trembled as his sobs were muffled by the cloak. The disease honestly had no idea why the boy was reacting this way nor did he know how to calm him down. Remembering his past, the Black Plague opted for something that always managed to calm down his brother.

He patted the kid's back reassuringly. He continued doing that until the sobbing toned down to a couple of sniffles. The Black Plague waited for another moment before gently prying the boy away from him. "Why're you crying?" he asked softly, his usual harsh tone missing. Lucas sniffed loudly, hiccupping from his tears.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sor-r-ry!" the boy managed to hold back his tears. "I-I-I d-d-didn't sta-a-ay like y-y-you told me t-to! I-I almost g-g-got you k-k-killed!"

"What? What are you talking about?" the Black Plague frowned. Seriously, he knew that those three he just infected were only strong enough to kill a single, stupid zombie. Why would the boy even think that they could kill him?

"Y-Your ski-i-in…" Lucas muttered. The boy felt the Black Plague go rigid. He looked at the masked disease, curious as to why just the mere mentioning of the disease skin was enough to freeze him. As if the fire crackled delightfully to thaw the Black Plague from his state, he slowly shook his head.

"I'm fine, Lucas," he muttered. "See?" he held up a hand to prove his point. Lucas glanced at it with wide eyes. He couldn't believe it. The boy clutched the disease's hand in surprise. He turned it this way and that. It was true. There was no signs of black, rotting skin. Just the pale, white that originally got him to stand up. Lucas could feel the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes again, yet he wiped them away to prevent them from falling. His shoulders trembled again at the thought that the disease wasn't going to leave him. Twisting out of the Black Plague's hold, Lucas hugged him again. This time the disease didn't push him away. Carrying the boy in his arms, the Black Plague slowly stood up as to not accidentally drop the boy. He left the men's campsite and headed back towards the house they called home for the day. Although Lucas stopped crying by the time the Black Plague entered the place, he was still awake.

The winged being gently laid Lucas on his couch. The child attempted to sit up, but the disease pushed him down. "Get some rest. We're leaving at dawn."

Lucas hesitated before laying his head on the armrest. Now that the Black Plague mentioned it, the events of the day made the boy more exhausted than he could imagine. He yawned hugely. Before he drifted off to sleep, he remembered one last thing he forgot to do. "Thank you, Black Plague," he murmured shyly.

The Black Plague looked at the child in surprise. He wasn't entirely sure what prompted the boy to thank him, but nevertheless, the disease felt something uplift his heart slightly. Yet at the same time, Lucas's statement bothered him a bit. He wondered what prompted his annoyance before he finally figured it out. The disease turned away from Lucas, "…that's not my name."

Lucas blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Call me Black Pit," the Black Plague muttered.

Lucas hesitated for a moment before a small grin crossed his face. "Thank you, Black Pit…"

Black Pit simply huffed at the change of words, "Whatever. Go to sleep already."

"Okay…good night, Black Pit."

"…"

* * *

 **Black Pit, Black Plague...WHAT A CONCIDENCE! NOT!**


	3. Chapter 3: Bargaining

**This chapter's kinda long...sorry.**

* * *

Bargaining

 _Why?! How could you?! I can't believe you killed your own brother!_

…

"Link, look," the blonde woman pointed to the horizon where a young boy walked among the fallen concrete and dead trees. The green-cladded man shaded his eyes from the sun. He squinted at the sight of the young child walking towards them. Yet that wasn't the strangest part. No, the strangest sight was the figure behind the boy. Covered with a black cloak despite the harsh sun and disguised with a bird-like mask, the figure trailed behind the boy. Link willed his eyes to examine closer. He realized that the kid was actually leading the figure by the hand. Then he noticed from the flutter of wind that the strange being actually had black wings. The man actually stepped back in surprise. His other companion looked at him curiously.

"Hey, what's the matter?" the seventeen-year-old boy asked. Link didn't answer for a moment before shaking his head.

"It's nothing, Little Mac."

The woman hesitated. She knew that something was bothering their leader. However, if he found it to be incomplete, he refused to share anything troubling him. Link would shield away from and change the subject. It annoyed the woman, but she could do little to change his habit. "Are we letting them in?"

"…no," Link kept his eyes on the duo, ignoring his companions gasps.

"But they're not infected!" Little Mac protested. "Shouldn't we help them then?"

"We can't just leave them exposed to the disease. They might catch it from one of the bodies," the woman added her bit to the argument. Link stared at them as if they were crazy.

"We still don't know the full effects of the disease. What happens if one of them did turn out to be infected? What would we do then?"

The woman refused to back down. Her sense of justice told her that they couldn't leave two people behind, even if they were infected. Although a large population couldn't do anything to stop an unknown disease (in fact, large crowds more often than not help spread the virus) there was a false security in numbers. That was part of the reason why the woman wanted Link to let the duo join them. The other reason, she was genuinely concerned for anyone wandering in the now barren Earth. "They're not infected," she said confidently. "Besides, even if they were, I'm sure Doctor Mario would be able to stall the disease for them like how he's doing for Roy." Link scowled at her.

"Rosalina, Doctor Mario is barely keeping Roy alive. I doubt he would be able to deal with another two patients," sensing some more movement in front of him, Link looked towards the two strangers again. They had gotten closer but were still moving quite slow. Seeing how the boy was supporting the winged being with an arm over his shoulder, Link watched them with a close eye. The boy, he had no qualms about. It was the winged thing he was carrying that brought shivers down Link's spine. The stranger's bird mask reminded Link of the old days when the Black Plague was actually curable. The doctors used to wear them in order to prevent the disease from spreading. Link had a feeling that this mask served a purpose far from those lines.

"Link, why don't we just give them a chance, huh?" Little Mac asked. The green-clad man paused. He wasn't heartless. If the circumstances were different, he would have helped the duo without hesitation. However the current events forced him to treat every stranger with suspicion. So far, that has kept them alive to this point. If they could hold out a bit longer, Doctor Mario predicted that the disease would soon pass away and they would be free to roam Earth once again.

If they were alive by that time. Even Doctor Mario, a genius in the medical field, could not identify all of the newest Black Plague's symptoms. He knew that it caused skin to turn black and some body parts to swell. However he was unsure whether it had secret symptoms and how it spread. It seemed to spread through touch of bare skin, however, even then, the evidence contrasted each other. At times it traveled like wildfire, knocking everyone dead in its path even without the need for touch. Other times, only a few were infected through contact, leaving the other survivors to quickly finish them off before the disease spread even further. It was truly like nothing Doctor Mario had ever seen.

Link looked at the duo again. He saw them stopping, or, rather, the strange person refusing to move any further. The boy was seen coaxing his companion. After a tense moment, they continued forward again. He made up his mind then. "Let them in," he muttered as he turned away to leave. Rosalina smiled brightly at Little Mac, grateful for their little victory. The boxer hurried to the control box and pushed the right button. The steel gates slowly parted to allow the two strangers entrance. Rosalina smiled slightly when she saw the boy start slightly before turning and pointing towards the gates to his companion excitedly. His companion didn't seem to share the same reaction, his bird-like mask covering his emotions quite nicely. Despite that they continued walking forward. Little Mac waited until the strangers arrived before closing the gates again. After the loud clang, he exited the box to stand near Rosalina.

"Are you all right?" Rosalina asked in a motherly tone. Her smile faded slightly when she saw the cloaked person flinch. His smaller companion patted his arm reassuringly.

"We're fine," the boy whispered to the woman. "Just a bit tired."

Rosalina nodded her understanding. That was to be expected. The world now would make anybody tired. She gestured inside the old military base the survivors called home. "Why don't you come inside and get some rest?" she smiled.

"So long as you're not infected," Little Mac commented. He smiled lightly at them, showing no ill-will behind his statement. The boy went rigid for a brief moment before chuckling forcefully.

"Y-yeah. We're not infected…" he muttered, a small smile on his face. His companion stayed silent, staring ahead into space. Little Mac's smile faded slightly at the boy's strange behavior. It almost seemed as if the two were hiding the fact that they were infected. That would explain why the boy suddenly got a bit nervous. Yet the boxer dismissed it, putting the blame on how young the child was and the horrors he must have seen. Rosalina nodded before walking forward, signaling the duo to follow her. Little Mac trailed behind.

In contrast to the destroyed world, the military base had been renovated as a sort of refugee camp. The huts that used to house vehicles now housed survivors. The base looked like a small town with odds and ends spewed about. A few survivors watched the group of four curiously. The boy returned their glances shyly while his friend kept his gaze forward. Rosalina moved towards a steel hut with a mushroom-symbol banner hanging outside. Little Mac quickly moved forward to pull the door open for his friend. She gave him a grateful smile once the door was open. They both gestured for the two newcomers to enter.

The boy and his companion did so. The child saw five cots about along with a table and gas stove to one side. Grouped apart from the "kitchen" was the "living room" with a dining table and a few chairs. A few carts from military activity contrasted the attempted, homing feeling the occupant wanted to go for. Two men stood near one of the cots. The boy saw a mass of red hair resting on a flat pillow of the examined cot. He wondered briefly why that man was of importance until he saw the blackened skin on his hands. The boy quickly scooted backwards, arms spread out protectively before his companion. Rosalina's smile faltered at the child's defensive reaction. She looked in the general direction before understanding what caused the boy to react so protectively. The woman shook her head quickly.

"It's all right. So long as you don't touch him with your bare hands, then you won't get infected."

To her surprise, the boy shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about," he muttered to himself. Rosalina frowned slightly as she caught some words. However she refused to comment on it.

"Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Rosalina," the woman introduced herself. She pointed to each person in turn. "That is Little Mac, Link, Doctor Mario, and Roy." Her voice quivered a bit when she named the last person. Little Mac waved hi to them, still grinning. Apparently he didn't see the same thing his older friend saw from the duo. Both Link and Doctor Mario looked towards them. The doctor whispered a question to his friend, to which he quickly replied. The doctor then nodded sagely, as if he should have expected something like that to happen. Link whispered to the doctor once more before walking over towards the small group. He kept his eyes trained on the winged being, wondering why none of his friends were bothering by that fact.

"Hi," the boy whispered shyly. His companion nudged him with a sleeved hand, as if to encourage him to continue. The child squared his shoulders, and his voice came out a little more confident, "I'm Lucas. And this is Black Pit." He pointed to the young man behind him.

"Black Pit, huh? That's a weird name," Little Mac commented.

The mask suddenly turned to look at the short boxer with blurry eyes. Little Mac actually took a step back. For some reason, he felt shivers down his spine when the stranger directly looked at his soul. Nobody spoke after Little Mac's rude statement. The silence was finally broken when Black Pit spoke.

"Little Mac, huh? I didn't think your parents would need to emphasize the fact that their kid would never reach five feet," he retorted. Little Mac immediately felt his temper boiling. Rosalina wished that she had time to inform them of her friend's aversion to being called small. However, thinking back to his first comment, she believed that he slightly deserved it. The boxer was close to launching himself onto the stranger when a strong hand held him back.

"That's enough. I won't have any fighting around here," Link commanded. His stern eyes snapped Little Mac out of it. The boxer shoved his gloved hands into his pocket, opting to glare at Black Pit instead. Quite ineffective, considering the stranger's mask. Link nodded slightly, feeling the tension break. He turned back to the two strangers, noting that Lucas had actually stepped in front of Black Pit again. The leader of the group waved his hand in front of his face. "Like I said, I won't allow any fighting. So I don't want to see you provoking anybody else, all right?" To his annoyance, Black Pit simply looked away. Without another word, he slipped out the door. Lucas jumped a bit in surprise. He moved to run out the door after his companion when he remembered something. He stopped and bowed towards Link and Rosalina.

"Thank you for letting us stay for now!" he said gratefully. Before anyone could reply, the boy zipped out of the hut to hunt for his companion. Rosalina smiled at her friend.

"He's such a sweet child. It's sad to see him alone in the world like that…good thing he has a friend."

Link didn't respond. He continued to stare at the semi-closed doors. His mind spun as he wondered about the duo. He couldn't place a finger on it, but for some reason, he had a bad feeling about those two. He originally thought it was just his imagination. But after seeing them again, Link was quite sure that there was something suspicious. Especially about the one named Black Pit. Why didn't anybody else comment on the stranger's black wings? Those were definitely out of the norm. Never had Link seen anything like it. No human could support wings those size. Was it possible that they were fake then? However Link questioned why anyone would want to lounge those around when the world was clearly ending. It would make traveling extremely cumbersome.

Despite his gut feeling, the leader wondered whether it was just because he was tired and he started hallucinating a bit. The others didn't say anything about Black Pit's wings. Perhaps he really was disoriented from the lack of sleep and fear of being infected. Shaking his thoughts away, Link went back to check on his infected friend.

Link found his chance to talk to Black Pit during dinner time. He found Lucas enjoying their sorry meal of plain beef soup with a few other children. The leader handed out the last bowl to the remaining survivor. He checked to make sure everyone had a bowl before realizing that he hadn't seen Black Pit. As a leader, he had to make sure nobody went to sleep hungry. The young man scanned the area, but there were no signs of the winged being. As a result Link filled up two bowls and walked over to Lucas. The boy had quickly made friends with the other survivors and looked like he was enjoying their company. He looked up curiously as the green-clad man stood behind.

"Where's your friend?" Link simply asked. He hid his notice of Lucas's flash of fear. The boy shook his head.

"He's not going to eat that…"

"If he's staying here, then he has to. Besides, he'll need all the nutrition he could get." The soup wasn't the greatest, but it was hot, nourishing, and filling. Lucas rubbed his hands nervously, done with his bowl a while ago.

"I…still think he's not going to eat that," Lucas informed. Link inhaled and exhaled through his nose to calm himself down.

"Well, we won't know unless we give it to him, now don't we?"

"I guess so…" Lucas shuffled his feet before pointing towards one of the huts. "He should be behind that one." Link nodded his thanks before moving towards his destination. As he left the fires, he heard Lucas calling out, "Don't touch him, though! He doesn't like it!" Link raised a curious eyebrow at that but continued forward. He wished that he didn't have to do this and stay behind near the cozy, warm fires where everybody gathered to cheer each other up. Instead, he was stuck looking for an ungrateful prick. He reached the back of the hut but there were no signs of the winged being. Link muttered darkly to himself, irritation mounting. He was about to turn and return to the fire when he saw Black Pit hanging near the fence.

The winged being's back rose and fell steadily as he clutched onto the fence tightly. Link could hear his rasping gasps, each one seeming more painful than the last. The leader took a step towards the stranger before stopping. He felt a shiver run down his spine as his hands suddenly lost their strength. One of the bowls crashed to the ground, spilling the precious soup and causing Link to curse under his breath. The stranger's head jerked up at the noise. Black Pit looked over to where Link stood stunned. Sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down past his mask.

"What…do you want?" he scowled. Link inhaled deeply to keep his temper from blowing over. He walked over to the stranger. "Get away from me!" Black Pit snarled. The man ignored his warning and stopped a few feet away from him. Link held out the wooden bowl towards him. Black Pit looked away, "I'm not eating that."

"You have to if you want to stay alive," Link argued. At that, Black Pit broke out in a sarcastic laugh.

"Oh, what would you know of me staying alive?" he muttered. "It would be better for everyone if I died soon enough."

"You would rather leave your friend alone?" Link asked incredulously. The bird-mask swiveled over to stare at the man in confusion. Link felt the shiver run down his spine again under the winged being's gaze. Black Pit finally shook his head in answer to the man's question.

"That kid isn't my friend," he turned back to the fence, "I never should have let him follow me…"

Link suddenly felt the need to defend the stranger's actions. He reassured awkwardly, "If you hadn't let him follow you, he could already be infected and dead somewhere. You did the right thing."

Black Pit laughed again. He refused to move from his position at the fence. "Are you serious? That boy…that boy is the reason I'm like this…why I'm sniveling over here with nothing and hunger eating away my insides."

The familiar annoyance of dealing with unruly people bit Link. He thrust the bowl forward, "Then take this and eat it! I don't know why you're so dead-set on _not_ eating it when you clearly need it!" The stranger seemed to ignore him, further testing his patience. Link took in some breath to urge Black Pit to eat when the winged being spun around quickly and knocked the bowl away from the man's hands. Link gave a slight shout in surprise, the bowl flying towards the ground upside down. The hit didn't hurt, but it startled him. Link glared at Black Pit, "What the hell was that for?!"

"All you humans make me sick!" Black Pit shouted. "Why couldn't any of you be like those bastards who sent me here the first place?! That way, I wouldn't feel so empty about doing all this!"

Link backed away from the winged being, wondering if his head had finally cracked. What was the nonsense the stranger was spewing? What did he mean by him doing all this? And why did he call them humans when he was clearly human himself? Unless…those wings were real after all. Then what did that make Black Pit? Who was he? _What_ was he? Black Pit glared at Link before turning back to the fence.

"I hate all of you…" he muttered. "No wonder why my brother loved you all so much…"

"What…what are you talking about?" Link asked. He stepped forward, making sure to avoid the spilt soup. "What happened to your brother?"

Black Pit stayed silent. He continued to gaze through the fence, ignoring the man behind him. Unused to being ignored, Link was about to place a hand on the winged being's shoulder when he quickly stopped himself as he remembered Lucas's warning. He was uncertain for how long he stayed with Black Pit. They just stood in the silence, brooding over different subjects plaguing their minds.

The sudden sound of a ringing bell snapped the two out of their strained tranquility. Black Pit glared a question at Link. The man held up a hand defensively, "That was just the curfew bell for everyone to go to sleep."

"You still tell them what to do?" Black Pit scowled.

"It's important that these people get their rest," Link retorted. The stranger simply snorted in derision. He released the fence from his grip and walked slowly back towards the front of the hut he was behind. As he passed Link, the man could barely hear him muttering.

"It's amazing how the human nature reveals its true self in an apocalypse." The leader of the group stared at Black Pit in surprise. He was about to pull him aside to ask why the hell he was so cryptic when the winged being slipped away. Link continued to stand there, thinking. After a while, Link headed towards his hut. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Lucas leading Black Pit after Rosalina. He watched them through narrowed eyes but didn't approach. It was only until they disappeared in a hut did he retire to his own.

…

The next day wasn't pleasant for them at all. Link exited the hut, still yawning when Rosalina ran towards him. Her face slightly red, she panted from the exhaustion of running. The woman was usually so composed, leading a sinking sensation in Link's gut. He held her shoulders in an effort to calm her down. That seemed to work as she breathed at a regular pace again.

"I-It's Roy!" she cried. "He's dead!" Pain flashed in Link's eyes as he took in the news. Without another word, he sprinted towards Doctor Mario's hut, Rosalina at his heels. Little Mac blocked the entrance to that hut. The boxer was attempting his best to calm down the worried survivors. The relief was clear on his face when he saw his two friends arrive.

"He's inside," Little Mac jerked a thumb towards the doors. Link nodded in appreciation as he entered with Rosalina. In contrast to the noise outside, the silence was deafening inside. His old friend, Doctor Mario, looked up when he saw the leader marching over. The unhappy doctor didn't even scold Link when he grabbed hold of the cot. A lump rose in his throat as Link stared at the black corpse of his dead friend. Roy's eyes stared off into nothingness. The pupils dilated and the pigment faded to the deathly black that Link was so familiar with. The dead, some-swollen skin cells were almost everywhere on Roy, making it difficult to know his true appearance. Link looked a question at Doctor Mario.

The doctor shook his head, "I…don't know what happened, Link. One moment, he was still quite lucid. The next…the disease just spread like a wildfire…"

"But how? We knew that the disease was spreading slowly for him! Why did he just suddenly succumb to it?!" Link glared at the doctor, as if he was to blame. Mario took no offense to the angry tone the leader took with him. He understood the stress the man was having in order to keep everyone alive. Now, one of his closest friends lay dead before them without a proper explanation of how he came to be. It simply wasn't right.

"I don't know."

"Link," Rosalina placed a hand on his shoulder. She flinched when he jerked away. Without another word, the leader stormed outside to find some peace of mind. The woman looked after her friend sorrowfully before turning back to Doctor Mario. "What should we do with the body?"

Doctor Mario shook his head, "We could only bury him with hopes that the body wouldn't be able to infect us…" Rosalina swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew it was coming, but she hoped it didn't have to be true. If Roy's infected body stayed here, who knew whether the others could be infected from the wind? Doctor Mario quickly called for Little Mac's assistance. Rosalina took his position in calming the survivors down. She successfully got them to return to their huts, promising them that they had the situation under control. However she could still hear in undertones their doubt. The woman sighed unhappily at the unexpected turn of events.

She was about to go back inside when a movement caught her eye. The boy from yesterday tiptoed towards her timidly. Rosalina bent down to his level once he reached her. "Lucas, what are you doing here?"

The boy rubbed his hands shyly, digging a toe in the dirt. For a moment he hesitated. Then, as if making up his mind, he looked at her fearfully, "Did…did Roy die from the disease?" Rosalina flinched slightly from that. She still didn't want to believe it, even though she had already seen it with her eyes. She wanted to lie to child, to protect him from the truth. However she realized that the boy probably already saw many others die the same way. What was the use of covering it up?

The motherly woman nodded, "Yes. He did, Lucas. But don't worry. We're safe so long as we don't touch the body." Lucas's eyes widened slightly at her statement. Then he looked to the side, his brow furrowed in thought. Rosalina blinked, finding herself wondering about Lucas's thoughts. The child then looked back and nodded gratefully to Rosalina.

"Thank you," he said simply before turning to go back to his hut. The surprising reaction startled Rosalina for a moment. She wasn't expecting the boy to thank her of all things. However, her thoughts were broken when Doctor Mario called her back inside.

Lucas hurried towards his hut. He leapt inside and shut the doors tightly behind him. Black Pit looked up from where he was sitting. He saw the small fury emitting from the boy's body and correctly guessed what Lucas wanted to talk about. Black Pit crossed his arms and looked away, refusing to speak. His companion looked at him sorrowfully.

"Were you that hungry?" Lucas asked. The disease kept silent, still avoiding the boy's gaze. Lucas walked over to him slowly, "I'm sorry that I forced you to come here, Black Pit…" Still silence. "…Was…was he going to die anyway?"

"…Yes. I was just helping the process along and happened to eat along the way," Black Pit confessed. He bent his head downward so Lucas couldn't see his face. The winged disease lifted his mask to rub his eyes. He returned the mask to its original position. Lucas stopped besides the Black Plague. He slid down to sit next to his companion. He opened his mouth to ask the next question burdening his mind, but he clamped his jaw shut when he thought about it again. The sound alerted Black Pit of the boy's inquiry. "What?"

Lucas squirmed when he realized that he had caught the Black Plague's attention after he decided not to bother him. He knew that it annoyed Black Pit when Lucas made unnecessary noises. As a result the boy was committed now. "Are…are you going to infect anyone else?"

Black Pit blinked once before looking away despite the boy not being able to see his eyes. Hearing only silence, Lucas gazed at the disease. He stared at the back of Black Pit's head before gazing down on his thumbs, twiddling them. After traveling with the disease for a while now, Lucas knew that he would eventually answer. He just had to give some time to Black Pit to compose his answer. The longer it took, the more the boy knew he wasn't going to like the answer. The silence stretched until the Black Plague finally broke with a simple answer:

"Yes."

Lucas's head shot up at the response. "B-But you can't! You just can't!" the words leapt from his mouth before he could recall them back with a hand over his mouth. Black Pit refused to look at his companion. He continued:

"Believe me, Lucas. I don't want to do it either. But that's nature for you. If I want to survive, I'll have to infect."

"But can't you infect something else? Something that isn't human?" Lucas pleaded. Black Pit finally turned to the boy. Although he couldn't see the disease's eyes, Lucas could still feel the full impact of his hot gaze.

Black Pit allowed the silence to stretch before replying, "I refuse to infect anything other than a human." Lucas was about to protest further when the doors to their hut opened. The duo sealed the lips shut, feeling a bit guilty for arguing about such matters for others. Little Mac blinked rapidly to familiarize himself with the darkness within the room. He looked around before his eyes landed on the two leaning against the wall. He gestured to them with a gloved hand.

"Link asked me if you could come attend Roy's funeral, even though you didn't really know him," Little Mac informed. Lucas looked at Black Pit for his thoughts. The disease waved a careless hand towards his companion. He turned over in an action of preparing for rest.

"Lucas, you go on ahead. I don't think I'll be able to handle it," Black Pit muttered. Little Mac's eye twitched slightly at the young man's offish behavior. He drew breath to scold him, but Lucas scrambled to his feet and hurried over to the boxer with his hands outstretched. Lucas shook his head, signaling to Little Mac that that might not be the best idea. The boxer looked at the boy in surprise. Yet he agreed to Lucas's plea, instead satisfying himself with a glare at the lying figure. He gestured to the boy to follow him. Lucas took one last look at Black Pit before trailing after Little Mac. The boy instinctively knew that Black Pit's choice allowed the other survivors to enjoy life a bit longer. He had noticed how some of Black Pit's dead skin cells already rejuvenated but not enough to make him as healthy as before. The disease was still hungry.

…

The day passed without another incident. Lucas prayed that it could stay like that. As he attempted to find sleep on his cot, he thought about Black Pit. The boy knew how difficult it was for the disease to contain himself like this. Before they came here, the Black Plague starved for someone to come by. Unfortunately for him none crossed their path. When the duo found the place, Black Pit urged Lucas to move on. He told him it was far too dangerous for them to stay there. At first Lucas thought that Black Pit was worried that the other people would find out his true identity. It was only after today that the boy realized that Black Pit was extremely anxious about losing his control to infect everyone here. The child appreciated Black Pit's efforts in holding himself back. The people here were very nice despite the horrible circumstances they found themselves in.

The boy thought back to how Black Pit acted today. The disease had stayed inside the whole day, refusing to budge from his spot that Lucas left him in to attend the funeral. Lucas guessed that he was trying his best not to give into the temptation of infecting another person. Realizing that, the boy decided that the best course of action for everyone was to leave the place tomorrow. He knew that it would be difficult to convince Link and Rosalina to let them go tomorrow, but he had to try. For everyone's sake.

Lucas racked his mind for a suitable excuse. None came to mind. He considered telling the truth but dismissed it almost immediately. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the survivors' reaction. More likely than not, they would be killed.

As the thought passed his mind, he heard screams coming from outside. Lucas sat up in bed. Through the gap of the doors he saw people running from something. His heart sank when he looked over at where Black Pit was supposed to sleep. His worst fears were founded as the sheets were tossed to the floor. The boy leapt from his cot and sprinted outside. A few survivors ran past him, ignoring him. Lucas flinched in surprise at the raging flames catching some of the huts. Everything was happening so fast, when Lucas thought back to the time, he wondered how he was able to react so quickly. He knew that Black Pit was behind the chaos. The disease must have lost control of his hunger and went out to infect somebody.

Lucas ran in the opposite direction of the escapees. The boy willed his legs to sprint faster despite his beating heart. Lucas gasped for breath to fuel his run. Up ahead he recognized Link, Rosalina, and Little Mac standing before the winged disease. Link turned around to narrow his eyes at the arrival of the boy.

"Did you know he was the Black Plague?!" Link accused, pointing to Black Pit. The disease stood silently. His pale hand held onto the collar of the dead Doctor Mario as the bird-mask stared at them with no emotions. Lucas bit his lip, unsure of whether he should tell the truth. However the boy's hesitation was proof enough. The leader growled angrily as he turned back to the disease. "I should have known. There was something suspicious about the guy."

"Wait! I can explain!" Lucas cried.

"Explain what?!" Little Mac shouted. He glared at the upset boy, "He already infected four others along with Doctor Mario before we got everyone else away! You killed five people!" The young man never thought he would be so angry with the boy that he considered to be a friend. His hatred for the Black Plague increased tenfold with the discovery that the stranger was the cause of their misery. That hatred transferred easily over to Lucas, and the boxer raised his hand to strike the boy.

"Little Mac, don't!" Rosalina cried. Lucas instinctively cowered away from Little Mac, expecting him to hit him. However the intended blow never came. The boy opened one eye to see their shocked faces. Little Mac stepped backwards as his wide eyes watched his skin die before him. He turned his head in time to see Black Pit aiming a staff at him before falling backwards. Rosalina made a choking sound caught in her throat while Link looked on in silent horror. Lucas looked at Black Pit in shock before running towards him.

"Black Pit! Please! Stop this!"

"Lucas, stay away from him!" Rosalina attempted to run after the boy, but Link pulled her back. He held up his gun at the Black Plague. He doubted that he could kill Black Pit with a man-made weapon considering this was a disease they were facing. However, he believed he could slow the winged being down enough for the others to escape.

Black Pit barely reacted when Lucas crashed into him. The boy buried his face in the disease's cloak. "Please stop, Black Pit! Don't infect anymore people!" Lucas sobbed. "I promise you'll infect somebody else soon!" He felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him away. The boy found himself staring right into Black Pit's mask. For the first time he looked straight into the red eyes of the Black Plague. The deep, mindless color sent shivers down Lucas's spine. A tense moment passed before Black Pit roared monstrously in Lucas's face, startling him. The disease tossed Lucas to the side before targeting a new victim. The moment his eyes landed on Link and Rosalina he charged for them.

Link pulled the trigger. Too fast for the eye to follow, the bullet hit right at Black Pit's mask. The man felt a sinking feeling of fear that his attack didn't work before realizing that the disease was screaming in pain. He pushed Rosalina away, the woman frozen in deathly fear.

"Run, Rosalina! Run!"

"But-!"

"Don't worry about me! I'll catch up to you!" he reassured her with a smile. Tears pricked at the blonde's eyes when she recognized the pretense in his voice. Without hesitation, she kissed his cheek before turning to run away. Link barely paused to react to Rosalina's unexpected action as he turned back to Black Pit. He raised his gun to shoot the disease again. Black Pit clawed at his mask as if to rid himself of the bullet. He looked up again, eyes glaring at the one who inflicted the pain on him. The disease was about to charge when a small figure flung itself at his feet. Link blinked in surprise as he realized that Lucas was trying to stop his companion again.

"Stop this, Black Pit! You promised me! You promised me you'll control yourself! Why are you breaking your promise?!" Lucas sobbed. Black Pit growled at the nuisance at his feet. He struggled this way and that, but the boy stubbornly held on tight. Link took that opportunity to shoot at Black Pit's chest. The moment he pulled the trigger, he realized his fatal mistake. Lucas had crawled up to try and snap Black Pit out of his madness.

"Lucas, loo-!" The boy didn't hear Link's warning. Instead, he felt familiar hands grip his head and toss him roughly to the side. The last thing he heard before passing out was Black Pit's agonized screams.

…

The throbbing headache woke Lucas up. He sat up too quickly, groaning as the flood of pain hit him. He realized that he was in the middle of the military base with a blanket covering him. A plate of food was beside him, but Lucas found that he wasn't at all hungry, especially when the memories of last night came flooding back. The boy looked around quickly, searching for Link and the others. Only the empty camp with raised mounds of dirt greeted him. He stopped when he saw a lone figure kneeling some feet away.

Black Pit's wings were folded in resignation. His bent back spoke of the disease's resentment. Lucas didn't want anything to do with the Black Plague considering what he did last night. However he mustered up his courage to stand up and walk to the disease. If what he thought the disease did was true, then he was alone again. Both of them were alone again. Fate would not allow them to be with other people, it seemed. They had no choice. Once the boy got behind the disease, he saw how Black Pit's mask was right next to him. There was a hole right in the middle of it. Lucas started slightly in surprise when he saw a strange liquid dripping from Black Pit, yet the disease didn't seem to make an effort to stop it. The Black Plague must have heard him because he let out a shuddering sigh. Black Pit rarely showed other emotions besides irritation and anger towards the boy. Lucas was reminded of the time those men kidnapped him and Black Pit came to his rescue. The Black Plague's cough brought him back to the present.

"L-Lucas…" Black Pit said in a quavering voice. "I…I'm sorry…"


	4. Chapter 4: Depression

**Oh my freakin' X-blade, I'm almost done. This one's even longer than the last one! Enjoy...the feels.**

* * *

Depression

 _I never want to see any of your filthy faces ever again! In fact, I'm glad you all picked such an easy punishment! I was planning to carry this out myself!_

…

Lucas stopped talking to Black Pit for a while after their incident with Link's group. The boy felt like everything was his fault. If only he had been a bit stronger, he might have stopped Black Pit from infecting and feeding off of everyone. Lucas knew that he was extremely close to preventing the Black Plague from doing so. However, it was clear that he still had little influence over the disease despite his immunity to him. Black Pit did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. And there was little Lucas could do to dissuade him otherwise. It tore his heart how weak he really was. If he was as strong as his brother…perhaps Link and the others would still be alive right now.

They quickly left the isolated, lifeless base to move to another place. Lucas noticed how Black Pit had regained some of his strength, allowing them to travel almost at the same speed as when the boy first started following him. Yet he sensed that within a day, they would be back to the snail speed he recently found themselves crawling to. Lucas recognized that although Black Pit wasn't human, he still had human-like properties. He gained his energy from eating, or in this case, infecting others. There were barely any signs of human life now, and Lucas shuddered at the truth that most people had already succumbed to the Black Plague. As a result, Black Pit had nothing to feed on. The boy wished that he could help the winged being in some way. However, his immunity preventing him from getting infected, putting Black Pit in a worse position as he saw food he couldn't touch traveling right next to him. Lucas once suggested for Black Pit to hunt some animals and perhaps infect a few trees. His suggestion was met with a curse and "I told you before, I refuse to infect those." Black Pit's comment puzzled Lucas for the longest time. He saw firsthand how the disease had no qualms infecting humans when necessary. Yet when met with an animal or plant, Black Pit steered clear of it. At first, he felt angry at the disease for discriminating plants and animals for humans. Then he thought back to how Black Pit was like when he infected Link's group and realized that there was a deeper reasoning to his actions. He shuddered when he remembered seeing Black Pit's mad eyes. It was almost as if he wasn't himself that day.

The boy wondered about the strange liquid that dripped from Black Pit post-mass infection. When they continued to walk, the liquid continued to trickle and splatter the pavements with its ink. Lucas tried to find the source of it, but he couldn't see any open wounds on the disease. He finally had to ask Black Pit about it. To his surprise, the disease didn't shun the question away. He actually answered immediately by rolling up a sleeve. Lucas held his breath at the disease's darkened skin. Just below the wrist was a dark hole, the liquid leaking from it. The boy had asked why the disease didn't patch it up.

"I already took out the bullet, but it wouldn't stop," Black Pit had revealed.

"Shouldn't you bandage it then? You might die from it."

At that statement, Black Pit gave a bark of laughter, "I don't die from gun wounds, Lucas. I die from hunger. And I don't need those stupid things you call bandages." He pulled his sleeve back up, "I just need to eat." And his wound constantly dripped.

Lucas saw Black Pit getting weaker with each passing day. Sometimes the boy had to support the Black Plague from falling over in exhaustion. They took multiple breaks, opposed to the rare rests they took in the past. Black Pit would pant for breath until he stood up again to continue forward. Lucas wanted to tell the disease to actually take a proper rest but couldn't find the courage to do so. However it got so bad to the point that Black Pit actually had to sleep to recover what little strength he had left. At night Lucas could hear him shuddering in pain and hunger. During those times, the boy felt sympathetic towards the disease. He regretted how he couldn't do more to help Black Pit, and the feeling got worse considering how the disease looked out for the boy as he always had.

Unfortunately for Black Pit, the duo did not find any other sentiments with humans to feed on. Every city, every town, every village they came upon were filled with fallen, black bodies. Even those who crawled around weakly for help eventually succumbed to the Black Plague. Lucas wondered whether the infected people died a long time ago or just died recently. It would make sense to the boy that they died recently considering that they didn't seem to be rotting. However, if they died recently, shouldn't Black Pit be able to draw nutrients from them, therefore regaining his strength? At that thought, Lucas was reminded of how little he knew of the Black Plague. He wished to know more, of course, but it was obvious that Black Pit loathed talking about himself. All the disease was worried about was finding some food, and he had every right to be anxious.

Black Pit instinctively knew that there were more people somewhere. He just had to find them. Yet considering his condition now, he wasn't sure whether he could make it. The disease didn't want to admit it, but without the kid, he probably would have died a long time ago. He grimaced slightly at the thought. Perhaps it would have been better that way. He remembered telling Link that he regretted allowing Lucas to follow him. Even now, he wished he never met the kid. Black Pit felt responsible for him, and it sickened him to know that he was the one that needed Lucas's help, not the other way around.

He knew that Lucas disapproved his feast of Link and his group. However Black Pit had no desire to tell him that he had no other options. Truth to be told, if he didn't slaughter them in the masses, he would have slowly drained all their lives away anyways. There was nothing worse than slow, torturous death, Black Pit knew. He wondered bitterly why he would grant humans a quick death when they clearly didn't deserve it and when he was slowly dying himself. He could feel his own disease sapping away his strength, his skin cells turning black right before his eyes. Black Pit knew it was only a matter of time before he collapsed and faded away.

But what about Lucas? What would he do then? The Black Plague cursed himself quietly when he realized he cared more about some random human than his own health. He didn't realize that he was actually glaring at the boy until Lucas flinched from the intensity of Black Pit's stare. The disease quickly looked away. Although he cursed himself, deep down he knew that he couldn't stand to see the kid alone. He had to find somebody to take care of Lucas before he died. However Black Pit wasn't sure if that somebody would survive long enough. He hated to admit it, but even he couldn't control his hunger sometimes. It already happened with Link's group. It was likely it would happen again. If there was only another person to provide him nutrients, Black Pit would do everything in his power to infect that person, even if it meant that he had to become mindless once again.

A small hand tugged on Black Pit's cloak, prompting him to look at Lucas. The boy pointed off to the distance over a grassy hill. They stopped in the middle of the street of the latest, empty town they traveled to.

"There's somebody over there," he whispered. At the mentioning of a possible meal, Black Pit perked up noticeably. He didn't even sense humans in that direction. Had he fallen this far to not know where his prey hid? The Black Plague shook away the sober thought. Without replying to Lucas's statement, he walked in the direction the boy pointed. Lucas started after the disease. Although he couldn't stand seeing another human being infected, the boy felt that he was responsible for his companion and had to keep watch.

As they neared the top of the hill, they heard the sounds of footsteps running away. Black Pit resisted the temptation to give chase. Instead, he continued his deliberate pace, Lucas following his side. When they reached the peak, the duo looked downwards. Black Pit was slightly surprised to see a rickety wooden shack. He saw a short flash of pink disappear inside. The Black Plague pursed his lips in thought. He felt Lucas's curious stare on him.

"There's somebody infected in there," Black Pit muttered. At least he could sense that much, he thought grimly. Lucas's head shot up in surprise.

"Why would that person run inside then?" When Black Pit looked a question, Lucas elaborated, "The person that just went inside wasn't infected." Indeed, the Black Plague sensed the truth in that. He guessed that only two people currently dwelled in that run-down building. Lucas paused, seeing Black Pit thinking. Another question floated in his mind, and he asked it before he could stop, "Are you going to infect them?"

That was the crux of it. If Black Pit wanted to continue living, he would have to infect the survivor as well. The infected already had no chance of survival, he knew. Black Pit already went on for too long without any food. And yet…

"I'll think about it," he grumbled. The answer surprised Lucas greatly, but he kept his mouth shut on that matter.

"Can…we go see them?" Lucas asked hesitantly. He, of course, didn't want a repeat of the military base incident. However when there were other survivors of an apocalyptical world, he couldn't help but be drawn to them. He looked at the masked disease fearfully. In what seemed like hours, Black Pit finally nodded.

"We can try," he muttered. The young boy blinked his eyes in surprise before a smile curved his lips. He turned to the shack and slowly descended the hill. Black Pit followed after his companion, a sinking feeling in his heart. Once they reached the end of the hill, Lucas walked towards the broken door. He saw how it barely hung on its hinges, the wind easily creaking it. The boy politely knocked on the door, though Black Pit saw it as quite pathetic. The duo heard some rustling before a pink figure appeared through the cracks of the leaning door. They saw the fear in her eyes.

"W-Who are you?" she questioned in a trembling voice. The evening sun lengthened the shadows, making it harder for Black Pit and Lucas to discern the girl's traits. However her dirty appearance was unmistakable. Dirt and grime stained her pink sweater while her brown, disheveled hair clung to her forehead like wet strands. Though her appearance differed from Lucas's own dirty appearance, it didn't change the fact that she had also faced the same hell as the boy.

"We're survivors like you," Lucas said in a placating tone. His quiet, unthreatening manner seemed to have the desired effect on the girl. "I'm Lucas, and this is my friend, Black Pit. Can we come inside?"

"Y-You're…not infected, right?" the girl asked. Lucas shook his head. However Black Pit found it curious as to why she would ask that when she had somebody infected inside with her. Lucas was thinking along similar lines but made no mentioning of their knowledge. A look of relief washed over the girl as she pulled the door inward to let them through. Black Pit felt her staring from his mask to his back, knowing that she was ogling at his wings, but he sealed his lips. If she wanted to ask, she could ask. But he wasn't going to give out freebies.

Besides the door, there was a window in the far back facing the sun. The only source of light as of now was the sun's last rays. The shack laid bare aside from a couple of weeds, a small backpack in a corner, a basin with water, and a lying figure in the middle covered with a blanket. Lucas and Black Pit stopped short of the figure. The girl moved past them and kneeled next to the figure. She reached into the basin and rinsed a dirty towel. She placed it on the head, crooning softly to it.

Black Pit felt his mouth salivating. His eyes fastened on the feverish boy, hungry for his flesh. He sensed that the boy's energy was draining quickly from his own disease. He didn't realized that he tried to get closer until he felt Lucas's hand on his cloak. The boy pleadingly shook his head at the disease. Lucas guessed as much that the person the girl was tending to was the infected. This was bad. Although Black Pit was showing some amazing restraint, Lucas knew it was only a matter of time before the infected succumbed to the disease.

"I'm sorry if you were expecting more," the girl apologized. "I couldn't get much after the spread. I'm Nana, by the way. This is my brother, Popo." She gestured to the sleeping figure. The duo nodded in acknowledgement.

"How long have you been here?" Lucas asked. Nana looked at him with tired eyes.

"I don't know…it's been too long."

A soft moan resonated from Popo. Nana quickly went back to tending him. The duo watched as she took away the towel to soak it again. The girl continued, "We ran away when the disease started infecting everybody else. This was the only place to hide at the time, so we stayed here. Afterwards, we started going out at times to look for food and water. We only went when we were sure nobody infected would be there." Nana's voice choked, as if she was about to cry any minute. "But…but then, Popo suddenly got sick. I didn't know why or how, but he just did. I can't leave very often now because I have to take care of him."

Lucas and Black Pit exchanged a quick look. So that was why she asked whether they were infected or not. Nana didn't even know that her own brother was infected. Lucas accompanied a question in his look. Black Pit returned it without a response before shrugging and sitting down to lean against the wall.

The boy looked back to the girl. She was about his age, yet already she was shouldering so much responsibilities and burdens. Lucas wondered whether she could bear the weight of her brother's true condition as well. He walked over to her to place a calming hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We'll get through this, Nana."

The hope had long extinguished in the girl's eyes. She looked at Lucas in disbelief before asking one word, "How?"

But Lucas was unfazed, "We'll think of something." Although his answer was not coherent, the simple confidence in his voice seemed to lift up Nana's spirits. She smiled wanly in return before looking at her brother again. The silence stretched for a moment before she asked:

"What about you guys?"

Lucas looked over at Black Pit, who was still staring at them. Hearing no answer, Nana looked up. The boy then turned back to his new friend to reply, "My…mother and brother were taken by the Black Plague…after running away from my town, I met Black Pit and we started traveling together." Nana wrapped her arm around Lucas for a brief, comforting hug.

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's all right," Lucas muttered. Although he was sad that his mother and brother left him, he couldn't help but feel that they were still with him, protecting him. Maybe it was also because of them that he began to follow the disease. Nana shyly looked at Black Pit.

"What about you, Black Pit?"

"…" the disease turned away. Nana tilted her head in surprise and curiosity at the stranger's silence. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Lucas shaking his head.

"He…doesn't like to talk about it."

Nana frowned at that. She turned back to Black Pit, "You'll feel better if you talk about it, you know…"

"…"

"You shouldn't ask him anymore," Lucas warned. Nana hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. She switched her attention back to her sick brother, unaware that Black Pit was watching closely.

Lucas and Nana had a small meal afterwards. When the girl offered some to Black Pit, the disease shook his head. She tried to insist, but he kept refusing. As a result, she put the food back in her pack, a bit puzzled at Black Pit's reaction. The disease sensed her suppressed curiosity but did little to quell it. He also sensed that something bothered Lucas. He guessed it had something to do with his refusal of eating despite his hunger. Black Pit had told Lucas many times he didn't, couldn't, eat human food. Lucas probably feared that in the dead of night, the disease would finally take Nana's brother.

After another hour of chatting, Nana fell asleep right next to her brother, their foreheads almost touching. Lucas walked over and sat next to Black Pit, who didn't move from his spot at all. The two sat in a compatible silence, something all too familiar with both on their travels. Lucas twiddled his thumbs for a moment before looking at the winged disease. As usual, Black Pit stared straight ahead. Yet Lucas had an uncomfortable feeling that the disease was actually staring at Popo and was simply waiting for him to fall asleep so the Black Plague could finish the job. Perhaps he could distract the disease from his hunger.

"Um…Black Pit?"

"What?" his tone was neither welcoming nor dismissive.

Lucas rubbed his hands together. "Can…can you tell me why you started infecting everybody?" He berated himself mentally at that question that undoubtedly reminded Black Pit of his hunger.

"Why do you need to know?" Black Pit asked, his tone still neutral.

"Well…" something in the disease's voice gave the boy hope and he used that to continue, "it always helps if you tell somebody your problems. Whenever I had a problem, my mother always encouraged me to share it with her. That way, we could find some type of solution for it. It always made me feel better right after."

The disease snorted in derision at Lucas's advice. The boy continued to look at the Black Plague nervously, the silence settling around them once again. Only the sounds of wind and Nana's quiet breathing filled their consciousness. The boy was tired, that's true. But for some reason, sleep would not grace him. He mused ruefully that perhaps the fear of Black Pit taking Popo was keeping him up. That was where the young boy was torn. He dearly wished to help Black Pit regain his strength and continue to follow him. However, Lucas could only liken Nana's grief of finding Popo dead to his own sorrow of watching his family die before him. He never wanted to experience that again, and he certainly didn't want anybody else to experience that great distress.

"…if you tell me why you followed me, I'll tell you why I started infecting people," Black Pit finally muttered. Lucas's head snapped up at that. He couldn't believe that he was finally able to get something out of the disease. Despite his initial thoughts to scoot closer to the disease, Lucas nodded in answer. Black Pit's mouth twitched slightly at the unmistakable gleam of curiosity in the boy's eyes.

"Okay. I honestly don't know why I followed you, but you seemed so sad…I felt like I had to try and cheer you up," Lucas answered. Black Pit looked at his companion as if he suddenly grew another head.

"What? What kind of reason was that?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Lucas's heart sank slightly when he heard that familiar tone. He shuffled his feet, taking a sudden interest in them. Black Pit felt the familiar irritation he usually felt when Lucas suddenly clammed up. He drew breath to ask again when the boy finally answered.

"You just…seemed sad when you were shooting the people. I couldn't understand why you would do something you don't like, but I felt like I should still try to help you out."

"I was never sad. I don't understand how you thought how I could be sad infecting all you humans. In fact, I'm happy that I'm able to do it. You humans make me sick. The things you do to each other and the things around you…you think this world is all yours, but it's not. It's my brother's," Black Pit spat bitterly.

Lucas flinched from the intensity of the disease's claims. However his ears still caught the note of sorrow in the Black Plague's voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The boy heard it the moment he came into contact with Black Pit. No masks, no smirks, no pretense in the world was enough to hide Black Pit's depression from the boy. That's why he continued to follow the winged being, because he knew that Black Pit needed help.

The sunflower child then looked at the disease with surprise. "You had a brother too?"

Black Pit snorted, "I did. He's gone, no thanks to you guys."

"But…" Lucas's head spun at the sudden revelation, and he almost forgot to ask his next question, "what did we do?" But Black Pit shook his head:

"A kid like you wouldn't understand."

"I'll try to understand!" Lucas cried. He suddenly felt fearful at the possibility that Black Pit wouldn't open up to him again. He simply couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He shook the disease's shoulders, "You've been keeping this to yourself for too long, Black Pit! If you don't talk about it, it'll only get heavier and heavier! Then you won't be able to lift it by yourself anymore!"

"Enough!" Black Pit shouted, throwing the boy from him. Lucas fell back, a small gasp of pain slipping from his mouth. When he realized what happened, Lucas froze. He looked over at the siblings and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were still fast asleep. He then looked back at the disease. A wave of surprise washed over the boy when he saw how the hint of sadness in Black Pit's eyes suddenly overwhelm him. The disease turned away to avoid eye contact with the one person in the world who was trying his best to help _him_. "Sorry, Lucas…" Black Pit muttered. "I overreacted…" he held his head with his hand, a headache agonizing him. The boy hesitated for a moment. Then, gathering up his courage, he crawled over to the disease.

"It's all right," Lucas replied as he hugged Black Pit. Surprise hit the boy again when he felt Black Pit flinch at the sudden touch. Yet he didn't feel the disease move to liberate himself. Instead, the Black Plague actually turned around and embraced him back. Lucas felt the familiar pat of the head that Black Pit would sometimes give him on their travels. It made him feel closer to the disease, almost as if they were brothers surviving the apocalyptic world. The loving pats began to make him drowsy. The boy was already exhausted from their travels. Despite his best efforts to remain awake, Lucas's eyes drooped close.

If only Lucas didn't fall asleep first. Perhaps he would have heard Black Pit answering his question, just like the Black Plague promised:

"…Lucas, I'm infecting my brother's people because it's my punishment. I am forced to destroy the one thing my brother loved…and protected before his death since I've always…been jealous of him…it really is a fitting punishment for me…"

The disease began to pat the boy's head again when he stopped the motion quickly. Black Pit stared at his hand, uncertain of his true feelings right now. He looked at his other hand. It was almost the same as its opposite with its dead, black skin cells. He grimaced as he saw that his life source still leaking from his bullet wound. Initially, he had been extremely furious with Link for hurting him so. He was tempted to drag the man's body around and continually feed on it until nothing was left, bones and all. However the disease thought about Lucas and was glad that he decided not to. Besides, Black Pit thought ruefully, Link was just doing what he needed to do to protect the people he loved. If anything the disease was jealous that the man was able to gather the courage to head him face-on when Link knew that there was no hope of him surviving. If only he had that same courage…maybe Black Pit wouldn't be suffering as he was.

His thoughts scattered when he felt a strange sensation come over him. The disease's unseen pupils dilated, and he gently pushed Lucas away from him. Black Pit stood up with his mad eyes set on his victim.

…

"Lucas! Lucas! LUCAS!"

Said boy groggily opened his eyes as Nana shook his back and forth. His mind was a bit slow to catch up, but once it did, Lucas remembered how he and Black Pit stayed with Nana and her brother for the night. At the thought of the disease, Lucas's eyes widened. He quickly looked around for his companion but to no avail. His heart sank when he saw that Popo was also nowhere to be found.

"I can't find Popo anywhere!" Nana cried, eyes filled with tears. "He's not strong enough to move by himself!"

Lucas jumped to his feet. As he did, he felt his foot slip slightly on something. The boy quickly caught his balance before looking down to find the source of his slipup. Nana's eyes followed him as he kneeled down to examine the black liquid on the floor. Judging by the size of it, the boy knew that Black Pit had stayed in this spot for a long time before finally moving. When the disease left, his wound continued to drip its strange liquid. The boy searched the area around for more of the tall-tell signs of the Black Plague. His heart sank when he saw the drops circle around where Popo had last lay. The liquid then led towards the door, and Lucas was willing to bet his life that that was where they would be able to find Popo.

"L-Lucas, w-what's that?" Nana asked, pointing to the liquid.

"I don't know," Lucas said truthfully. "But if what I think is true, then we have to hurry. We might still be in time to save Popo." The lie choked more than the boy's throat. The blonde grabbed the brunette's wrist and pulled her towards the door with a sudden urgency that scared the girl even more.

"What are you talking about? What happened to my brother?!" she cried in fear. Yet she didn't resist Lucas's hold and followed willingly. She sensed that Lucas knew what was going on and perhaps this had happened before. As she continued to worry about her brother, Nana suddenly remembered, "Where's Black Pit?"

Lucas faltered a bit at the mentioning of the disease. He juggled with the idea of whether to tell Nana the truth. He thought back to when he withheld it from somebody. The results were almost too much for Lucas to remember. Perhaps, if he said something this time, he might be able to save a life. He stopped in the middle of the streets and turned to face Nana. "Nana, I have a confession to make…"

Worried, brown eyes looked over the blonde fearfully.

"B-Black Pit…he's the Black Plague. He's the one who's been infecting everybody."

Nana's eyes widened at the revelation. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.

"I'm really sorry for keeping this from you, Nana. And I'm really sorry for not telling you that your brother was already infected."

"What?" she whispered.

Lucas nodded at the question, "Black Pit sensed that Popo was infected with his disease. If I'm right…then he's feeding your brother right now."

"No…no, you're lying! You're lying!" Nana pushed Lucas away from her, tears running down her face. His arms whirl winding for balance, Lucas managed to regain it before falling on the ground. He looked at the girl, and angry eyes glared back, making him flinch. "It's not true! Popo was never infected! He was all right before you two showed up! He was fine. We were both fine…" a light dawned in her eyes. "It's probably your fault!"

"Nana-!"

"No! You two were probably infected and passed it onto him! Then he dragged Popo away to kill him so you guys would go away cured!"

"Nana, that's not how it works!"

"And how would you know that?! Why would you think that the infected would try to bite the non-infected? It's so they could transfer the disease so they wouldn't be infected anymore!"

"You're wrong! The disease doesn't transfer, Nana! It's distorting your mind! It's making you see things that aren't real!" That was one of the things Lucas had noticed about Black Pit's disease. It distorted reality for everybody, except for Lucas. Lucas saw the truth behind the infection, and it pained him that he had this knowledge.

"No! You're just trying to trick me! I won't let you infect me!" without waiting for Lucas's response, Nana turned and ran in a different direction. After a moment's hesitation, the boy gave chase. He had to stop her before Black Pit found her. Lucas knew he was immune, but Nana was another matter. It was only a matter of time before the Black Plague finished his meal and searched for the next one. Though he wanted to help Black Pit, Lucas knew in his heart that he couldn't let Nana succumb to the disease. Not seeing Black Pit feed on Popo made accepting his death a bit easier. But Nana? Even if Lucas didn't see her death, he still couldn't, wouldn't accept it.

Unfortunately for the boy, Nana knew the ins-and-outs of the city they were sprinting in. When Lucas turned a corner, she was nowhere to be found. He felt his chest tightening in fear and panic. His eyes dashed around for some signs of the girl. Seeing none, Lucas forced himself to calm down, feeling the familiar terror almost paralyze him again. He couldn't go into the same panic that numbed him when Black Pit first went crazy. The boy breathed deeply and walked towards the nearest building. It was logical, Lucas presumed that Nana would attempt to find a hiding spot in order to conceal herself from him and the Black Plague. Although the city was large, there were few hiding places.

As he opened the first door, a high-pitched scream echoed. Lucas turned in surprise in the direction of the scream. A few debris fell on the boy's head from the sound, causing him to briefly look up a moment before turning back. Another high-pitched scream resonated. Lucas sprinted into that direction, recognizing Nana's voice. He pleaded with himself that he would be able to make it in time and there wouldn't be a repeat of the military base incident. He willed his sore legs to sprint faster. Judging by the sounds of Nana's screams, Black Pit must have found her already.

Lucas jumped down from a pile of rubble. He cried out in pain as he landed with a dull thud. As he stood up, he felt something stinging in his leg. The boy looked at the gash in his leg. It wasn't very large, but it still hurt more than anything. As he limped to his feet, he saw how one of the protruding rocks trickled with red blood. The boy gritted his teeth in anger at his carelessness. Why was it now that he had to get hurt? His ears registered another terrified scream. Although it sounded close, Lucas still felt the fear of his lateness. He limped as fast as he could. Fortune watched over him this time when he found a large and strong enough stick that could be used as a crutch. He was able to limp a bit faster towards Nana. He prayed that he wouldn't be too late. He went through the hole of a skyscraper that once stood tall. When Nana screamed again, her voice bounced all over, stabbing Lucas with possible accusations. This only urged the blonde to limp on even faster. The light at the end of the tunnel was steadily getting brighter.

Finally bursting from the cover of a decimated building's shadows, Lucas quickly examined his surroundings. His eyes caught Nana cowering in a corner between two broken pieces of concrete. Standing a few feet away from the girl was Black Pit. A demonic aura emitted from the disease, his wings spread out dreadfully behind him.

"Nana!" Lucas shouted, limping his way towards the duo. At his concerned voice, both the prey and predator looked towards the boy. While Nana's tear-stained face showed the relief, Black Pit's expression were still concealed by his mask. Yet it was obvious that the disease didn't appreciate Lucas's intervention. He roared monstrously in Lucas's direction, his blackened arms spread out in a sign of aggression. Relief quickly changed to horror as Nana realized that Black Pit might attempt to infect Lucas.

"Stay away, Lucas!" she yelled in warning. Black Pit turned back to screech at his original target, causing her to shriek and cower even further. Disregarding Nana's warnings completely, Lucas edged closer to the duo. His brow glistened with sweat from his exertion, his breath heavy. He rested most of his weight on his crutch, his leg bleeding a map of his traverse. Yet Lucas was only focused on getting to Nana and convincing Black Pit not to infect her. In the back of his mind, he knew that Popo had already succumbed to the disease.

Once Lucas got closer, Black Pit turned towards him again. The boy started at the disease's sudden attention. Before, with the distance and sun against him, Lucas could only make out Black Pit's mask. Now, he saw how black patterns of dead skin etched around the disease's face. Black Pit's meal of Popo wasn't enough. He needed to eat more, even if he couldn't touch Lucas. The boy thought that he was immune to Black Pit's advances, but the winged being quickly proved him wrong.

Black Pit leapt for the boy, bleeding hands outstretched. He tackled Lucas to the ground, earning a grunt of pain. Thankfully Lucas didn't hit his head against a rock, or he would have lost consciousness. Before he had time to react, Black Pit screeched monstrously in his face. Lucas felt hands wrap around his throat and wring his neck. The mindless disease must have realized that he couldn't feed on this boy. So he did the next best thing that would enable him to have three meals today. Black Pit would kill him so he could disgustingly eat away Lucas's dead, but still fresh skin. His air pipe cut off, the boy gasped desperately for breath. His feeble fingers jerked against Black Pit's hold, doing more harm than good. He tried his best to keep his wits, but his brain was dying from the lack of oxygen. His mind hazed over. Tears streamed from Lucas's sorrowful eyes, as if Black Pit was squeezing those out of him as well.

Lucas was looking through a dark tunnel now. It was almost as if all his senses were numbed so his brain only registered the minutest stimulus. His ears heard Black Pit's screeches again, mixed with a surprisingly young voice. His eyes saw Nana hitting the disease with a rusty pipe. The Black Plague turned to scream at her, relinquishing one of his hands to knock the girl away. Nana fell backwards, skidding to a stop once she hit a cement block. It didn't knock her out cold, but it did knock the breath out of her. She coughed to regain the lost air.

At Black Pit's release, Lucas instinctively gasped for air. His hands held onto Black Pit's, attempting again to pull the choking grasp away. The disease felt his prey trying to escape and quickly turned back to him. Black Pit shrieked at the boy again. Instead of using his other hand to choke the boy, the Black Plague lifted Lucas high in the air and tightened his hold. The blonde gasped again as he felt his air getting cut off.

"B-Black Pit! S-Stop!" Lucas kicked his legs feebly before losing the strength to do even just that. He couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks as Black Pit screamed in his face. Sorrowful eyes looked at mad ones, still pleading silently to stop. Although Lucas saw death coming for him, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to hate Black Pit. Even after every horrible thing the disease had done, he still looked out for the boy. He never failed care for Lucas, even if he didn't show it. Now that he was facing his end, Lucas wished that he could have had the time to thank Black Pit for everything he did for him.

Just as he was about to fall in death's hug, Black Pit's hold lessened. Lucas gulped another lungful of fresh air before seeing the horror in the disease's eyes. The red eyes were mad no more as the pupils returned to their full size. Black Pit quickly dropped the boy, backing away from him. The Black Plague shook his head as if to convince himself that he didn't do what he was about to do. His mouth moved but no sounds came out. He inched away from both the boy and girl, still shaking his head. Black Pit stopped once he judged that he was a safe distance away from his prey. He continued to shake his head in repulsion.

Lucas rubbed his neck, feeling the heat from the disease's choke hold. Once he had enough air, the boy tried to push himself up. Nana hurried over to help him to his feet. "Are you all right?" she asked, eyes searching for any other signs of injury.

The boy shook his head in reply. He felt woozy from his near-death experience, but other than that he was as fine as he could be, with the exception of his throbbing leg. Lucas looked over at Black Pit, still shaking his head. He attempted to move towards him, but Nana stopped him.

"Don't go near him!" she pleaded. "He'll try to kill you again!"

"No, he won't," Lucas said firmly. Resisting Nana's efforts, Lucas limped over to the Black Plague. Black Pit had his head in his hands, shaking side to side. At the sound of Lucas's footsteps, Black Pit's head jerked up. Anger masked the shame in his eyes as he scowled at the boy. "Black Pit," Lucas started.

"LEAVE ME!" Black Pit roared. Lucas almost flinched at that, his heart in his throat. Yet he swallowed his young fear and bravely stepped forward. Black Pit stepped backward in response.

"Black Pit…"

"Are you deaf?! I said leave me! I don't want to see you again! Any of you! Just leave me ALONE!" the disease erupted. He whipped out his staff and knocked Lucas away. He cried out in pain as he fell to the floor. The sound tore at Black Pit's heart and he could only stare at the boy in front of him.

"Lucas!" Nana ran towards the boy's side. She helped him sit up before glaring at Black Pit, "What was that for?!"

Black Pit hardened his gaze at the girl. Before he could say anything, Lucas coughed a bit. The boy turned to Nana, "It's all right, Nana…" He looked back at the disease. Black Pit's broken heart ripped even more at the boy's innocent and honest eyes. "Black Pit…please…" Black Pit flinched at that. For a moment, the disease was tempted. He was tempted to throw away his idea and continue with Lucas. But recent events told him that if he cared for the boy, then that was the wrong path to take entirely. Knowing Lucas, he wouldn't take the first step. Black Pit had to. He turned away from the duo. He wondered briefly how much more he could take when Lucas's pleading cry tore his heart once more. He steeled and composed himself.

"…good-bye, Lucas," the disease finally muttered, almost without the choking tone. He walked away from the duo. He didn't even look back. To do so would have shown Lucas the tears streaming down the disease's cheeks. And to do so would have shown Black Pit the anguish on the boy's face.

* * *

 **...AI! Almost done! Yes! Now leave me so I can cry about college...**


	5. Chapter 5: Acceptance

Acceptance

 _Brother? I'm…really sorry…I'm really sorry for doing all of this to your world…_

…

Lucas had no idea how long it has been since Black Pit left him to travel alone. He wished it wouldn't be this way, yet the Black Plague refused to have the boy around anymore. He wondered how the disease was doing without him, guilt continually stabbing at his heart. He wondered if he had made the right decision in going with Nana instead of chasing Black Pit again.

The days were almost the same as before, yet now his traveling companion was a girl his age. Another difference was that they avoided manmade places such as the empty, quiet towns in favor of the forests and grasslands surrounding those places. Everywhere they looked, they found animals cheerfully continuing their lives as if nothing really happened. Yet the animals were more intelligent than they looked, naturally avoiding the duo and anything manmade. Despite Black Pit's refusal to infect them, the animals still knew that they were vulnerable to him as any other organisms.

Though the duo initially traveled in silence for the first few days, Lucas eventually broke that horrible silence that reminded him so much about his own days with Black Pit. After that icebreaker, they continued to chat with each other immensely, considering how there wasn't much to occupy their minds. Lucas sensed that Nana wanted to know more about the disease, a thought that made him smile ruefully considering how he used to be in a similar position as her. Yet, also like him, Nana considered the other person's feelings and tried to suppress her curiosity to avoid any awkwardness. Lucas attempted to give hints about Black Pit to let his companion satisfy her curiosity. It seemed to work, and Nana gradually learned what Lucas guessed about the disease.

When they traveled, they truly had no idea about the future. Would they continue scavenging like this forever until their very deaths? Perhaps there were some people who Black Pit haven't infected yet? That was a possibility, and Lucas cringed at the thought that if it was true, then that would have meant the boy slowed the disease down immensely. Yet still after walking for days, they saw no other signs of human life.

The hope still burned in the back of their minds, hope that they would finally be saved from this wretched nightmare. And, eventually, it came true. They came upon another sheltered city, one filled with laughter and happiness despite the terrible events. Lucas and Nana were immediately welcomed in when they found that the two children weren't speckled with black, dead skin. They met with the leader of the city, Mr. Game and Watch was his name, who warmly welcomed them and prepared a great feast for them. He explained to them that each time they found a survivor, they celebrated for the person's good fortune. Both children thanked the people for their generosity. Nana was fully convinced that they were saved. However, Lucas couldn't stop the guilty stab in his heart.

When asked how they managed to escape the plague, Nana accidentally revealed that Lucas was immune to the disease. This quickly caught the leader's interest, and he pleaded with Lucas to let some lucky scientists who survived the plague to examine him for a cure. Initially, the boy refused on instinct. He knew that once they got the antidote, Black Pit was as good as dead. Nana begged him to reconsider and Mr. Game and Watch swore that the scientists won't harm Lucas. If they found that developing the antibiotic would lead to Lucas's death, they would not pursue it any further. Lucas felt his resolve wavering. Although he wanted to help the Black Plague, he also didn't want anybody else to die.

After a day of thinking about it, Lucas finally relented. He half-hoped that getting the antibiotic meant that he would have to be killed, thus stopping the scientists from doing so. However Fate was not so gracious a second time to the boy, and the scientists found a way to develop the cure from Lucas's own blood. While the people cheered outside, Nana attempted to comfort Lucas inside their home. Although she hated Lucas's initial refusal, she thought that she understood why the boy did just that. He felt a deep loyalty to the disease, who took care of him when nobody else did. The girl put herself in Lucas's shoes, and felt a similar guilt to the one he felt currently.

Mr. Game and Watch then sent some of the people to travel across the land to give the antibiotic to others and perhaps lead them back to the city. Both Lucas and Nana remained in the city where they quickly adapted to the routines of the people. After a few days, it felt as if there hadn't been a dangerous disease rampaging and eradicating the human race. It felt…normal. And Lucas wasn't sure how to feel about that.

At times, he would catch himself wondering what exactly became of Black Pit. With the antibiotic reaching the other survivors, Lucas knew that Black Pit wouldn't be able to eat. However, he also knew that that didn't mean the disease wasn't capable of murdering humans with his bare hands. Black Pit was close to achieving that with Lucas himself. Yet his heart told him that Black Pit wouldn't do that. He hoped he was right.

Several years past, and the human population slowly rebuilt itself. The people were still scattered, and the largest settlement of human life was Mr. Game and Watch's city. Despite the people's new immunity to the Black Plague, they still refused to draw near decimated cities still littered with the dead, black bodies, some possibly their loved ones. The new world that emerged from Black Pit's plague was strange to an extent. They still had the technology that they were blessed with in the 21st century, yet they didn't have enough hands to fully maintain it. It was an awkward repeat of the past as the people turned back to agricultural and animal husbandry methods with a touch of modernization.

Lucas and Nana stayed with each other in the same house during those years. Their feelings grew, but they had yet to tie the knot. Lucas was often hailed as a hero thanks to his immunity. Yet Nana knew how much it hurt her boyfriend whenever people came up with some sort of felicitations. At times, he withdrew from everybody and refused to leave the house. After seeing him in those moments too many, she suggested that he go toward the outskirts of town and walk in the forest. Perhaps, she thought, that would help calm him down. Lucas agreed, and he would leave every day after lunch and return before dinner.

Walking around in the forest reminded Lucas of his younger days. Sometimes he had to stop in the middle of his walk to wipe away the tears in his eyes. The young man could still remember Black Pit's irritated voice and his awkward pats and his usual silence. Lucas wondered whether it was healthy for him to continue to think about the past. Every time he tried to let it go, it always came back to haunt him, to accuse him of his betrayal. It got stronger on his walks, but Lucas could never find it in his heart to stop. Though it was accusatory, it strangely offered some comfort for him as well. He followed the same path each day in order to make it in time for dinner.

Yet one day, he strayed off the path. Lucas wasn't sure why he did, but it seemed like the woods were beckoning for him to take a different route. After everything that's happened to him, Lucas was not at all fazed by this bizarre sensation. He calmly walked the new route. Despite his composed domineer, he could feel his heart beat slightly faster. The forest got a bit too quiet for his liking. What time was it? The trees filtered the sunlight coming through, preventing the young man from getting a clear view of the sun in order to tell the time. Lucas stopped for a brief moment. Perhaps he shouldn't be doing this. After all, who knew what kind of things this forest hid? Even though he walked through it many times, he stayed en route and the scenery stayed close to the same. There was no telling what would happen. The birds that usual sang their tunes had fluttered away while squirrels hurried for shelter. Then the wind blew gently, breaking the stillness of the air. It swirled around the young man before urging him forward. After a moment's hesitation, Lucas walked forward. He soon came upon a dark clearing where the trees circled around a medium-sized rock. The air was dense, as if something heavy weighed the place down to depression. Lucas stopped where the grass ended.

He stared at the sitting figure in shock. It leaned against the rock, slightly speckled with black spots. The dirt it sat on contained some dead leaves, possibly grass that grew there before the figure came. Native plants refused to grow near it as a black liquid stayed in place. A purple staff lay across the figure's lap as its head drooped forward. The being's black wings no shone with a black gleam. It drooped with dull, ugly feathers. The black fingers protecting the staff twitched every so often, as if the owner could not control them.

The young man recognized Black Pit immediately. However he found it hard to equate the once fearful Black Plague to the shambling, broken figure before him. Yet there he was, so close to death. Lucas rushed over to Black Pit's side. At the sound of footsteps, the disease lifted his tired head. The young man stopped in surprise. Black Pit's face, once pale and masked, darkened to match his wings. The red eyes that used to watch over Lucas so steadily dimmed to eternal blindness. The disease's mouth slightly gapped at the sight of the familiar figure before him. A rasping sound came from his throat, but nothing else.

Lucas felt tears prickling his eyes as he slowly approached his old companion. He kneeled in front of Black Pit, the disease still gazing intently at him. Lucas placed a calming hand on Black Pit's folded hands. He could barely feel the life in them. The young man looked at the disease worriedly. There seemed to be no signs of recognition in Black Pit's eyes. Lucas swallowed the fearful lump in his throat, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Black Pit?" he asked, afraid of what the disease might answer. The name seemed to trigger something in the Black Plague. His mouth curved into a crazed smile as the rasping sound got louder. Before, Lucas might have flinched from it. Now, he could only stare at Black Pit in sorrow. After a while, he realized that Black Pit was laughing. The disease's eyes wrinkled as his shoulders shuddered with trembling giggles. The young man honestly had no idea what to do now. He felt like any attempts to comfort the disease would be futile. Lucas was sure that Black Pit already knew that his fate was sealed the moment he let Lucas go. All his potential meals fell before him thanks to Lucas's immunity. When Black Pit finally found some people to infect, a sensation of dread had overtaken him when he also found that he couldn't touch them. No matter how hard he tried, the disease could not infect them. Those were the same lucky people that were delivered the antibiotic derived from Lucas's white blood cells.

Using the wind, the Black Plague had searched frantically for some sort of meal that hasn't been treated yet. However, he failed miserably as Mr. Game and Watch's people managed to get to all the survivors in time. After that horrible realization Black Pit retreated into the woods where he thought he might find some comfort. And he stayed there ever since. He managed to live for a moment longer by infecting the plant life around the rock, but after that food source depleted, Black Pit remained near the rock, refusing to find anything else to infect.

As a result, the very disease that he used to infect others and drain their life away slowly corroded him. If he had infected other organisms besides humans, he would have lived longer. But Black Pit knew that his infections were only delaying the inevitable. If he continued to infect, eventually he would have wiped the whole earth of its existence. And he would die alone, perhaps in the very same spot as right now.

But he wasn't alone. He felt somebody touching his hands. It was a familiar touch, one he had grown to miss. Black Pit had tried to recall the person's name, but his mind failed him. He didn't realize he tried to say something out loud, his own disease corroding his vocal cords already. The Black Plague leaned forward and blearily blinked his blind eyes in order to find some sort of clue. Of course, he couldn't see anything. However he sensed something move to his side and sit down next to him. Black Pit instinctively turned his head to look before remembering that his vision was gone. He had to rely on something else to identify the stranger. He reached out, searching. For a moment, he only felt air. Then his hand felt something soft, something familiar, something comforting.

Black Pit began patting Lucas's head in his usual way. Lucas didn't flinch and let the disease do his action. The Black Plague's laughter quieted down until he was silent. The young man watched in surprise as tears suddenly dripped down the black cheeks of the disease's dead skin. Not knowing what else to do, Lucas did the next best thing that he wanted to do for a long time. He hugged Black Pit. He remembered how his mother and brother always gave him a hug whenever he felt horrible. Lucas wasn't sure if it would have the same effect, but it was still worth a try. Black Pit barely reacted. With that, Lucas was content. Even though the disease didn't react, he still hoped that he was able to get through to the Black Plague. They stayed like that for a while, one hugging the other, the other patting one. It was almost as if they had started on another journey together, and Lucas was glad he was able to see Black Pit again.

…

Black Pit's eyes shot open as he slowly pushed himself off the ground. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before looking around. He frowned at the unfamiliarity of the area. Last time he remembered, he was lying in a dark forest near a rock. Yet this place was nothing like the cold, damp place he rested. The grass joyfully provided him with a soft bed while the wildflowers waved their good mornings.

The wind blew, causing Black Pit to shiver slightly. It was a familiar wind, one that Black Pit often used to help him on his travels. He drew some comfort from it, but that didn't seem to be its purpose as of now. It seemed to have brought something, or somebody with it, their footsteps marking their presence. He turned to see who was stepping forward. At the sight of the owner, Black Pit froze. His eyes stared, disbelieving the apparition before him.

Pit spread his hands out in an imploring gesture, "What's the matter, little bro? You look like you saw a ghost." Black Pit felt something prickling his eyes as his heart skipped a beat. A choking sound rose from his throat. The black-winged being leapt to his feet and sprinted over to his brother. He crashed into his older brother, earning a gasp of surprise. Black Pit wrapped his arms around Pit and buried his face into his brother's clothes. The surprise gone, Pit couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face as he heard muffled sobbing from his younger brother. He returned the hug and patted Black Pit's head in that familiar way, "There, there. It's all over, little bro. You don't have to worry about a thing anymore."

"But…but I…"

"I forgive you for it," Pit soothed. "It's all right…"

Black Pit's sobs only got louder, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right. Don't worry about it anymore, little bro. It's all over," the angel kneeled down to Black Pit's level and wiped away his younger brother's tears. Black still sniffed though, hiccupping at times. Pit smiled warmly at him, "Hey. Why don't you come and meet some nice people? I'm sure they'll love to meet you."

"Who are they?"

"Hinawa and Claus. They've been wanting to meet you for a while. Let's go," Pit grabbed Black Pit's hand in his own and led his brother towards their destination. After a moment's hesitation, Black Pit followed willingly. They were silent at the beginning. Then Black Pit turned to his older brother.

"I made a friend…" he said shyly.

"Oh, did you?"

"Yeah. His name's Lucas."

…

Lucas patted his hands together, rubbing away the dirt. Thankfully he had found a stick nearby and was able to use it for his purpose. A sharp rock also served to help him. He tilted his head to look at his handiwork. Lucas rubbed his jaw, still examining the sight. Something was missing. Something important. Then he realized what he needed. He looked around, and, as if Fate was looking out for both of them, a sunflower grew quietly in a corner.

The young man hurried over and gently dug it up, roots and all. He walked back to the grave he had just fashioned for his old companion. The rectangular dirt was surprisingly regular, as if done by a professional, and the rock served as the tombstone. Lucas dug another hole on top of the grave and planted the sunflower. He wasn't sure whether Black Pit's body still had the power to infect things, but he couldn't stand to leave the disease's grave bare without some sort of acknowledgement. Lucas backed away to examine his handiwork again. He nodded in satisfaction. It wasn't much, but he knew that Black Pit wouldn't have been big in those kinds of things. For the moment, the sunflower still stood tall. However Lucas promised himself that he would come back every day to tend Black Pit's grave. Even if the sunflower would be infected, Lucas vowed to bring Black Pit a new one each time he came to visit, at least, until his grave couldn't support anymore. Perhaps he might bring Nana along one day. But for now, he was content to be alone with his old companion.

Lucas stared in silence before patting Black Pit's grave one last time. He felt the tears prickle his eyes as his heart felt hollow once again. It was a bit hard for him to believe that the disease was finally gone, and it took him a moment to recompose himself. When he finally did, his shoulders felt a bit lighter. "Thank you, Black Pit…I don't know what I would have done without you." Lucas then stood up and finally left Black Pit to his peace. The disease had finally succumbed to himself.

* * *

 **And...there we go! The end of my entry to Mikaela's contest! Ugh...I wished I done more for the ending...but I'm just too tired about life to really do anything about it...but anyways, hoped you guys enjoyed.**

 **If you still don't understand, the disease that Black Pit was using was a revival of the Black Plague, where people's skin turned black, their bodies swelled, and boils broke out. However, his disease also distorted the outsiders' views. While the infected have actually been calling for help, the survivors view them as trying to infect others similarly to a zombie. Only Lucas and Black Pit knew that this was going on. Link's group had a feeling, but Roy died before they could confirm it.** **When Black Pit gets extremely hungry, he does get out of the zone since his instincts take over to help him survive.**

 **The characters that I used: Black Pit, Lucas, Snake, Falco, Wario, Link, Rosalina, Little Mac, Doctor Mario, Roy, Nana and Popo, Mr. Game and Watch, and Pit.**

 **I just might write a story expanding on Black Pit's past and how he came to be condemned to infecting everybody. I don't know. I feel like I can do a lot of sequels for my contest entries XD I just might. Each one gets some kind of sequel. But anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed. For my competitors reading this, good luck in the contest and may the best writer win!**


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